AY  20  1919 

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BX  9178  .FA  B3  1919 
Ferguson,  Robert  Gracey 
Baccalaureate  sermons 


Ye 


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W/v 


vi   i  n*nr^^ 


1 


BACCALAUREATE 
SERMONS 


V 


BY 


R.  G.  FERGUSON 


v^. 


L»br.  o-(  religious  tnoucfht-. 


BOSTON 
RICHARD  G.  BADGER 

THE  GORHAM  PRESS 


Copyright,  1919,  by  Richabd  G.  Badges 


All  Rights  Reserved 


Made  in  the  United  States  of  America 


The  Gorhara  Press,  Boston,  U.S.A. 


FOREWORD 

Two  reasons  influence  me  in  publishing  these  Bacca- 
laureate Sermons. 

First  and  chiefly  to  meet  the  expressed  wish  of  many 
of  "  my  boys  and  girls "  of  several  college  generations. 
They  are  all  over  our  great  country  from  Maine  to 
California  and  from  Oregon  to  Florida;  they  are  all  over 
the  world  —  in  China,  Japan,  India,  Egypt,  Persia  and 
other  missionary  fields;  they  are  in  goodly  number 
"  Somewhere  in  France  "  and  with  khaki-clad  men  in 
other  lands.  I  have  had  and  still  have  them  in  my  heart 
and  their  desire  has  with  me  something  of  the  force  of  a 
command.  But  a  second  reason  is  the  hope  that  when 
my  few  years  are  ended  I  may  still  be  preaching  a  little 
to  those  who  may  read  the  book. 

The  sermons  are  given  with  scarcely  any  change,  with 
the  local  and  temporal  coloring  retained. 

I  commenced  work  in  Westminster  College  in  1884 
and  I  am  still  with  it  in  191 8.  My  successors  in  the 
office  of  the  Presidency  —  Rev.  Robert  McWatty  Russell, 
D.D.,  from  1906  to  1915,  now  of  the  Moody  Bible  School 
and  Rev.  Wm.  Charles  Wallace,  D.D.,  the  present  in- 
cumbent have  both  shown  me  great  courtesy  and  good 
will  and  have  encouraged  me  to  remain  with  the  College. 
This  I  have  been  glad  to  do  and  to  contribute  however 
little  to  the  prosperity  and  usefulness  of  the  institution 
as  a  servant  of  Christ  and  His  Church.  Bivat,  creseat, 
floreat,  Westminster! 

New  Wilmington,  Pa. 


CONTENTS 

SfcHMON  PAGE 

I     Individuality 9 

II  A  Young  Man's  Courage    ....     21 

III  "  And  Who  Is  My  Neighbor?  "  .     .     .     32 

IV  Complicity  with  Crime 44 

V      SOBER-MINDEDNESS 56 

VI     Obedience 68 

VII  The  Importance  of  Words  .     .     .     .81 

VIII  Truth  in  the  Inward  Parts      ...     93 

IX    The  Christian  Race 105 

X    Alone,  Yet  Not  Alone 121 

XI  The  Girdle  of  Righteousness  .     .     .136 

XII    Bible  Ethics     . 150 

XIII  Work 164 

XIV  The  Ministry  of  Service     .     .     .     .178 
XV    Decision  vs.  Drifting 192 

XVI  The  Final  Test  of  Heroism      .     .     .  203 

XVII    Followers  of  Christ 214 

XVIII    Knights  of  the  Cross 228 

XIX  The  Manliness  of  Christ  ....  242 

XX    Him  That  Is  True 253 

XXI  Recruits  for  the  Army  of  the  Lord    .  266 

5 


BACCALAUREATE  SERMONS 


BACCALAUREATE  SERMONS 

SERMON  I,  1886 

INDIVIDUALITY 
Then  I  consulted  with  myself. —  Nehemiah  5:  7. 

THE  condition  of  things  in  Jerusalem  at  this  time 
was  already  ominous  and  daily  growing  worse. 
In  meeting  the  common  danger  from  foes  without,  at- 
tention had  been  withdrawn  from  another  danger  that 
was  silently,  yet  rapidly  developing  within.  There  were 
inequalities  and  oppressions.  The  rich  were  taking  ad- 
vantage of  the  necessities  of  the  poor.  Lands  were  mort- 
gaged and  children  were  sold  into  bondage.  The  rich 
were  growing  richer  and  the  poor  were  getting  poorer. 
The  pangs  of  poverty  were  keenly  felt  and  there  was 
despair  of  any  immediate  improvement  of  their  condi- 
tion. At  length  a  cry  arose,  a  wail  of  agony  and  an  ap- 
peal for  redress.  There  were  many  notes  of  complaint 
—  yet  they  were  all  of  one  strain.  There  was  an  out- 
cry of  men  and  women  who  were  in  straits  to  get  bread, 
who  could  hardly  solve  the  problem  of  mere  living,  who 
were  tearfully  parting  with  everything  they  held  dear  to 
keep  soul  and  body  together.  If  not  a  bread-riot,  it  was 
like  the  muttering  that  presages  such  a  storm  of  human 
passion.  The  elements  were  marshalling  for  a  serious 
disturbance  of  the  peace  and  prosperity  of  the  community 
of  which  Nehemiah  was  the  head. 

Well   was   it   that   such    a   large-hearted,    self-poised, 
resolute  man  was  at  the  helm  of  affairs  or  his  enterprise 

9 


io  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

might  have  been  shipwrecked  on  the  very  verge  of  suc- 
cess. 

Nehemiah  was  indignant.  His  strong  nature  was 
roused  by  the  unbrotherly  conduct  of  the  wealthy  Jews. 
His  own  simple  statement  is  "  I  was  very  angry."  His 
whole  soul  was  moved  by  a  deep  and  intense  resentment 
against  the  wrong  that  was  done  which  constrained  him 
to  rebuke  the  wrong-doers.  He  did  not  however  lose  his 
balance  and  rush  headlong  into  unwise  contention.  With 
equal  self-control  he  adjusted  himself  to  the  situation. 
"  Then  I  consulted  with  myself  and  contended  with  the 
nobles  and  the  rulers."  He  did  not  take  counsel  of  his 
clique  or  club  or  order.  He  did  not  watch  to  discover 
what  way  the  prevailing  winds  were  blowing.  He  had 
not  surrendered  his  manhood  to  the  keeping  of  others, 
be  they  many  or  few  and  therefore  when  the  exigency 
arose  he  says  — "  I  consulted  with  myself."  Perhaps  the 
example  of  Nehemiah  may  emphasize  a  lesson  or  two 
worth  learning  for  those  who  are  just  pushing  out  from 
the  shore  with  the  oars  in  their  own  hands. 

I.  Nehemiah 's  soul  was  in  his  own  keeping. 

Personality  has  been  described  as  "  that  in  man  which 
enables  him  to  say  I."  Not  only  can  he  be  distinguished 
but  he  distinguishes  himself  from  every  other.  In  a  sub- 
dued sense  that  line  of  Wordsworth  might  be  spoken  of 
every  human  being  — "  Thy  soul  was  like  a  star  and  dwelt 
apart."  There  is  that  in  each  of  us  which  no  other 
shares.  It  belongs  to  one  alone  —  it  constitutes  him 
what  he  is.  If  we  have  a  personality  of  the  same  nature 
as  that  of  others,  which  we  may  recognize  in  them  as  well 
as  in  ourselves,  it  is  none  the  less  true  that  we  are  sep- 
arated from  one  another  by  the  whole  breadth  of  being. 
We  are  conscious  of  self  as  existing  apart  from  every 
other  and  give  expression  to  the  fact  in  our  common 
modes  of  speech— "I"  and  "Thou"  and  "He"  or 
"  She." 

But  not  only  are  we  distinct  from  each  other  as  per- 


Individuality  1 1 


sons,  but  we  are  diverse  from  each  other  as  individuals. 
There  are  peculiarities  of  form  and  feature,  of  intellect, 
sensibilities  and  will  that  make  each  of  us  differ  from 
every  other.  When  we  call  one  a  poet;  another  a 
thinker,  another  a  philanthropist,  another  a  hero,  we  are 
simply  labeling  them  so  as  to  set  forth  their  prominent 
individual  characteristics.  You  think  over  your  as- 
sociates in  class  and  hall  and  you  say  of  one  — "  He  is  a 
keen  observer,"  of  another  — "  He  has  a  wonderful 
memory,"  of  another — "  He  will  have  his  own  way,"  of 
another — "  He  is  the  soul  of  honor."  You  say  of  one  — 
"  She  has  a  brilliant  imagination,"  of  another,  "  She  has 
more  intellect  than  she  gives  herself  credit  for,"  of  an- 
other, "  Her  cheerful  honest  face  was  a  perpetual  bene- 
diction," of  another,  "  She  was  reverent  toward  God  and 
every  sacred  thing."  But  what  is  the  meaning  of  these 
statements?  What  but  this  that  these  are  the  impres- 
sions of  their  individual  characters  that  have  been  stamped 
upon  you  by  your  association  with  them,  while  similar 
impressions  of  your  individual  character  have  been  fas- 
tened in  their  minds  by  the  fellowship  of  months  and 
years. 

But  why  has  the  Creator  thus  set  us  apart  from  one 
another  and  given  us  such  diverse  endowments?  Is  it 
not  to  make  monotony  impossible  ?  Is  not  our  individual- 
ity given  us  as  a  charge  to  keep?  Let  it  not  be  surren- 
dered at  the  bidding  of  any,  nor  stolen  away  while  we 
sleep.  We  but  serve  our  common  humanity  when  we 
hold  our  rightful  God-given  place,  when  we  fill  up  the 
deficiencies  of  one  another  by  using  the  powers  which  God 
has  given  in  the  field  which  God  has  assigned.  There 
is  a  proper  assertion  of  one's  individuality  and  of  this 
Nehemiah  gives  us  a  right  noble  example.  Sensible  of 
the  responsibility  of  his  high  position  and  conscious  of  his 
own  powers  he  "  consulted  with  himself  "  how  he  should 
act  in  this  trying  hour.  He  belonged  to  himself  and  had 
not  submitted  himself  to  the  keeping  of  another. 


12  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

I  know  there  are  many  offensive  ways  of  asserting  our- 
selves against  which  we  do  well  to  guard.  Here  rises 
the  egotist  who  is  constantly  thrusting  his  personality  on 
the  attention  of  others,  who  is  absorbed  in  thoughts  of 
self  and  pours  them  out  of  the  abundance  of  his  heart 
on  long-suffering  and  disgusted  hearers.  Here  sits  an- 
other stubbornly  planted  in  the  path  of  progress,  like  a 
stump  in  the  middle  of  the  road,  content  if  he  is  only  giv- 
ing uncomfortable  jolts  to  every  passer-by.  Yonder 
comes  another  with  lightning  in  his  eye  and  thunder  in 
his  voice  and  power  in  his  hand,  imperious,  domineering, 
crushing  every  other  man's  individuality  in  order  to  main- 
tain his  own.  All  these  we  condemn  without  hesitation 
and  without  stint.  But  shall  we  fly  from  one  extreme  to 
another?  Shall  we  descend  from  imperiousness  to  im- 
becility? If  there  be  undue  self-assertion  there  is  also  un- 
due self-repression.  There  is  a  time  to  speak  as  well  as 
to  be  silent  —  a  time  to  speak  brave  earnest  words  of 
counsel  or  rebuke.  There  is  a  time  to  withstand  as  well 
as  to  coincide,  a  time  for  fearless  action  as  well  as  for 
patient  submission.  No  man  has  a  right  to  barter  away 
his  birthright  of  independent  thought  and  action  for  what- 
ever mess  of  pottage  is  promised  him. 

It  is  true  that  college  life  does  not  always  encourage 
that  sturdiness  of  character  for  which  we  speak.  The 
individual  is  swallowed  up  in  the  mass.  Thomas  Arnold 
of  Rugby  counted  this  the  bane  of  the  Public  Schools  of 
England  and  unless  the  public  sentiment  be  a  healthy 
one,  it  is  apt  to  be  the  bane  of  schools  and  colleges  with 
us.  Dean  Stanley,  speaking  of  Arnold's  desire  to  culti- 
vate in  his  pupils  an  abhorrence  of  evil,  says  of  him  — 
"  Amongst  all  the  causes  which  in  his  judgment  contrib- 
uted to  the  absence  of  this  feeling  and  to  the  moral 
childishness  which  he  considered  the  great  curse  of  public 
schools  the  chief  seemed  to  him  to  lie  in  the  spirit  which 
was  there  encouraged  of  combination,  of  companionship, 
of  excessive  deference  to  the  public  opinion  prevalent  in 


Individuality  1 3 


the  school."  Let  us  cherish  the  hope  that  in  this  little 
world  of  ours  we  are  coming  to  the  ideal  condition  in 
which  in  any  matter  each  may  have  an  opinion  of  his  or 
her  own  and  suffer  no  loss  of  general  respect  and  esteem 
but  rather  the  contrary. 

But  out  in  that  great  world  to  which  some  of  you  are 
about  to  go  there  may  be  yet  stronger  foes  to  your  in- 
dividuality. You  will  be  enticed  to  put  a  noose  about 
your  neck.  It  will  be  lined  with  fair  promises  of  benefits 
and  decked  with  flowers  of  plausible  speech.  But  if  it 
fetters  the  mind  and  hinders  the  free  exercise  of  judg- 
ment and  conscience  it  is  an  enemy  in  disguise.  Mr.  Mill 
says  truly  — "  Even  despotism  does  not  produce  its  worst 
effects  as  long  as  individuality  exists  under  it;  and  what- 
ever crushes  individuality  is  despotism  by  whatever  name 
it  may  be  called."  Beware  of  everything  that  would  rob 
you  of  that  which  is  emphatically  your  own.  Let  noth- 
ing—  custom,  fashion,  public  opinion,  party  lash,  associa- 
tion or  order  —  override  or  delude  you  to  give  up  your 
ownership  of  yourself.     To  thine  own  self  be  true. 

Who  is  it  will  not  dare  himself  to  trust : 
Who  is  it  hath  not  strength  to  stand  alone : 
Who  is  it  thwarts  and  bilks  the  inward  must: 
He  and  his  works  like  sand  are  blown. 

Seek  if  you  will  the  counsel  of  your  wise  and  faithful 
friend  but  accept  no  Lord  and  lawgiver  but  the  Divine. 
Preserve  through  all  the  years  the  manly  strength  —  the 
womanly  dignity  to  consult  with  yourself  concerning  the 
course  you  pursue.  Respond  for  yourself  with  Joshua  — 
"  As  for  me  I  will  serve  the  Lord."  Answer  with  a  ring- 
ing "  NO  "  the  enticements  of  evil. 

In  the  world's  broad  field  of  battle, 
In  the  bivouac  of  life, 
Be  not  like  dumb  driven  cattle; 
Be  a  hero  in  its  strife. 


14  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

II.  Nehemiah  took  counsel  of  his  higher  nature. 

"  He  consulted  with  himself."  He  stopped  to  think 
instead  of  acting  on  the  noble  impulse  of  the  moment. 
His  course  was  not  taken  from  a  mere  outburst  of  feeling 
—  a  momentary  flash  —  a  sudden  dart.  This  only 
moved  him  to  prompt  consideration  of  the  present  evil  and 
such  decisive  action  as  the  case  demanded.  But  with 
what  elements  of  his  nature  did  he  consult?  Certainly 
not  with  the  lower,  for  the  very  idea  of  counsel  with  them 
is  utterly  incongruous.  Appetite  and  passion  brook  no 
restraint  and  to  parley  with  them  is  to  become  their  slave. 
Says  Paul — "  I  buffet  my  body  and  bring  it  into  bondage 
lest  by  any  means  when  I  have  preached  to  others  I  my- 
self should  be  rejected."  How  sad  it  is  when  this  is  re- 
versed and  the  body  has  supreme  lordship  over  the  Spirit! 
Alas!  how  many  noble  minds  and  generous  hearts  have 
been  reduced  to  the  most  abject  bondage  by  the  appetite 
for  drink,  and  how  many  more  fall  into  the  deeper  degra- 
dation —  the  bottomless  pit  of  lust. 

Nehemiah  took  counsel  of  his  higher  nature  —  of  his 
reason  and  conscience  —  of  all  within  him  that  brought 
him  into  kinship  with  the  angels  and  with  God. 

First  of  all  he  consulted  his  conscience.  He  raised  that 
prime  question  that  should  take  precedence  of  every  other 
in  deciding  upon  a  course  of  action,  "  What  ought  I  to 
do?  "  His  sense  of  justice  caused  him  to  sympathize  with 
the  oppressed  whose  despairing  cry  fell  upon  his  ear. 
Nor  did  his  emotions  evaporate  without  producing  any 
impulse  to  right  action.  He  knew  that  with  him  rested 
the  right  solution  of  the  problem  presented  and  con- 
scientiously set  himself  to  solve  it.  Having  determined 
what  he  ought  to  do,  he  asked  further  —  How  can  I  best 
do  it?  He  did  not  cling  to  principles  and  ignore  means. 
Having  settled  the  question  of  principle  he  sought  with 
all  diligence  and  candor  the  speediest  and  best  way  of 
securing  its  triumph.  There  are  those  who  plunge  into 
the  battle  and  leave  their  wisdom  behind  them  with  their 


Individuality  1 5 


forsaken  baggage.  They  run  wild  and  lose  their  power 
to  consider  clearly  and  honestly  what  the  times  demand. 
If  they  do  better  than  those  who,  though  interested  in  the 
right,  lazily  dismiss  it  from  their  minds  they  do  less  than 
is  worthy  of  themselves  or  the  cause  they  espouse. 
Surely  the  cause  that  has  enough  in  it  to  fire  our  souls 
with  zeal  has  also  enough  in  it  to  engage  our  earnest 
thought  —  to  cause  us  to  look  before  we  leap. 

And  who  can  doubt  that  Nehemiah  turned  his  thoughts 
heavenward  in  that  hour  of  serious  consideration?  It 
was  impossible  that  he  should  exclude  God  from  that  con- 
sultation with  himself.  Is  not  He  a  part  of  the  neces- 
sary environment  of  every  human  soul?  Does  he  not  en- 
velop our  souls  as  the  atmosphere  envelops  these  bodies 
of  ours?  My  conscience  within  me  is  the  "voice  of 
God,"  and  every  intuition  of  right  brings  me  into  the 
presence  of  the  Divine  Lawgiver.  My  indwelling  sense 
of  dependence  leads  out  my  thoughts  to  an  Omnipotent 
Father  on  whom  I  can  lean.  I  stretch  forth  my  hand 
and  everything  I  touch  in  nature  reminds  me  of  an  In- 
telligent First  Cause.  I  turn  over  the  leaves  of  the  past 
and  as  I  watch  them  closely  there  comes  out  upon  them 
so  that  I  must  read  it  —  The  hand  of  God  is  here.  Ah 
no!  We  cannot  seclude  ourselves  from  the  "  Father  of 
our  spirits,"  whose  handiwork  is  the  created  universe  and 
whose  unceasing  care  extends  to  every  smallest  part  of  it. 
Few  men  lived  more  in  the  joyous  consciousness  of  divine 
presence  than  did  Nehemiah.  When  he  heard  the  har- 
rowing tale  of  Hanani  concerning  the  desolations  of  Jeru- 
salem he  sat  down  and  wept  and  fasted  and  prayed  for 
days  together.  He  thought  if  he  could  only  enlist  the 
King  but  he  knew  not  how.  The  burden  of  his  soul 
during  his  long  season  of  prayer  was  — "  Grant  mercy  in 
the  sight  of  this  man."  As  the  King's  cupbearer  he  went 
into  the  King's  presence,  but  contrary  to  his  usual  custom 
with  a  sad  countenance.  And  when  he  told  the  reason 
and  the  King  opened  the  door  of  opportunity  by  asking  — 


16  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

"  For  what  dost  thou  make  request?  "  he  did  not  spring 
forward  to  enter  it  but  silently  prayed  to  the  God  of 
heaven  for  guidance  lest  he  should  make  mistake. 
Alas!  how  often  when  flushed  with  unexpected  successes 
and  large  opportunities  are  opened  up  before  us  instead 
of  being  solemnized  we  are  only  emboldened  and  in  our 
pride  and  self-confidence  we  prepare  for  a  fall.  Ne- 
hemiah  took  God  with  him  all  along  the  way.  When  he 
reached  the  holy  city  he  says  — "  I  told  them  of  the  hand 
of  my  God  which  was  good  upon  me."  When  enemies 
sought  to  hinder  the  good  work  he  records  —  showing 
how  he  combined  energy  with  piety,  vigilance  with  faith 
— "  We  made  our  prayer  unto  God  and  set  a  watch 
against  them  day  and  night."  Former  governors  took 
tribute  of  the  people  and  their  servants  bare  rule  over 
them  but  he  solemnly  affirms — "So  did  not  I  because 
of  the  fear  of  God."  Can  we  then  doubt  that  in  this 
transaction  with  himself  there  was  an  invisible  Witness 
whose  presence  was  recognized?  If  his  life  be  all  of  a 
piece,  this  counsel  with  himself  in  all  probability  took 
place  on  the  house-top  where  Peter  prayed  at  mid-day  or 
in  a  private  chamber  such  as  that  of  Daniel.  He  was 
alone,  except  that  God  was  with  him.  He  whose  name 
is  Counsellor  was  by  his  side,  suffusing  his  mind  and  heart 
with  His  Spirit. 

Reason !     Conscience !     God ! 

Would  that  we  could  write  these  words  upon  your 
memories,  yea  imprint  them  upon  your  characters. 
Would  that  we  everyone  of  us  could  exalt  them  to  their 
supremacy  over  our  souls!  Thus  would  we  be  brought 
into  fellowship  with  all  the  truly  great  ones  that  have 
ever  lived  upon  the  earth.  Who  are  they  that  shall  be 
held  in  everlasting  remembrance,  that  the  ages  to  come 
will  love  to  hear  about?  More  and  more  as  Christianity 
gains  the  ascendency  will  military  glory  and  unsanctified 
brilliancy  drop  out  of  the  consideration  of  men.  But  as 
long  as  the  ages  last  those  whose  names  are  linked  with 


Individuality  1 7 


the  elevation  of  mankind,  with  liberty  and  truth  and  right, 
will  never  be  forgotten.  The  men  of  conscience  and  the 
men  of  God  are  those  whom  the  world  will  not  willingly 
let  die.  Paul  will  outlive  the  Caesars;  Luther  and 
Wesley  will  outlive  the  reigning  princes  of  their  times, 
Garrison  will  outlive  Clay;  Whittier  will  outlive  Emer- 
son ;  Nehemiah  has  outlived  Artaxerxes. 

Young  ladies  and  gentlemen  of  the  graduating  class, 
problems  are  already  presenting  themselves  to  you  requir- 
ing prompt  solution,  problems  that  no  other  can  solve 
for  you,  problems  that  either  time  or  you  will  settle. 
You  with  your  own  vigorous  grasp  or  time  with  its  on- 
ward flow.     Which  will  it  be? 

To  everyone  of  you  has  already  come  again  and  again 
that  solemn  question  of  Pilate  —  What  shall  I  do  with 
Jesus?  Has  your  answer  thus  far  been  what  you  in- 
tend it  shall  be  before  life  closes?  Would  that  we  could 
part  company  with  everyone  of  you  in  the  confident  as- 
surance that  Christ  is  formed  within  you  the  hope  of  glory. 
If  some  of  you  have  said  "  He  is  mine  "  what  place  have 
you  given  Him  within  you?  Is  he  in  the  very  center  — 
on  the  very  throne  of  your  being?  Do  you  rest  in  his 
Love?  Do  you  bow  to  his  will?  What  are  you  doing 
with  Jesus?  What  does  your  higher  nature  bid  you  do 
with  him  ?  Reason  and  conscience  both  say  —  Let  him 
be  enthroned  high  above  every  rival  claimant  for  posses- 
sion of  our  souls.  He  only  is  truly  wise  who  is  wise  for 
eternity  and  wise  today.  Soon  if  you  are  not  already 
there,  you  will  be  confronted  by  another  question  of 
very  serious  import.  What  use  shall  I  make  of  my  gifts 
and  attainments?  Undoubtedly  providential  opportuni- 
ties will  be  a  large  determining  factor  here.  Yet  there 
is  always  a  large  domain  in  every  life  in  which  there  is 
liberty  of  choice.  We  may  consult  with  ourselves  and 
the  conclusion  will  correspond  with  our  ideals  and  gen- 
eral purposes.  Let  us  urge  upon  you  here  also  to  make 
Reason,    Conscience    and    God,    your    advising    cabinet. 


Baccalaureate  Sermons 


Ask  yourself — "What  am  I  fitted  for?  In  what  direc- 
tion do  my  divinely  given  powers  point  me?  In  what 
avocation  am  I  likely  to  be  successful  ?  Ask  yourself  — 
Where  are  the  moral  risks  so  great  that  I  dare  not  ven- 
ture on  them?  In  what  line  will  I  be  likely  to  develop 
the  best  character?  Where  can  I  do  the  most  good? 
Ask  God  to  shine  upon  your  way,  to  be  your  interpreter 
of  events,  to  lead  you  whithersoever  He  would  have  you 
go.  As  the  wise  men  followed  the  Star  in  the  East  so 
do  you  follow  these  guiding  stars  of  your  higher  nature 
toward  the  sunset  of  life  and  they  will  lead  you  beyond 
the  hills  that  skirt  your  horizon  into  a  wide  country  where 
all  is  clear  and  pure  and  joyous  forever.  May  the  Lord 
guide  everyone  of  you  by  his  counsel  and  afterward  re- 
ceive you  to  glory. 

Other  problems  will  present  themselves  to  you  as  you 
go,  some  intricate,  others  sharply  defined,  some  requiring 
wisdom,  others  courage.  Some  will  belong  to  you  per- 
sonally, others  you  will  meet  in  common  with  your  fel- 
lows. In  every  age  there  are  great  questions  of  Church 
and  State,  of  morals  and  reform.  Where  shall  you  settle 
them  for  yourself?  Where  but  at  the  bar  of  your  own 
reason  and  conscience?  Take  no  heed  to  public  clamor. 
Yield  not  to  the  dictation  of  either  good  men  or  bad. 
Make  God's  law  as  revealed  in  conscience  and  the  Bible 
your  standard.  Seek  God's  spirit  as  the  illuminator  of 
your  understanding.  Endeavor  to  act  rationally,  con- 
scientiously and  christianly  and  surely  you  cannot  go  far 
astray.  These  are  stirring  times  in  which  we  live. 
Sometimes  the  very  foundation  seems  to  be  giving  way. 
Who  shall  guard  and  maintain  the  pillar  of  social  order? 
Who  shall  stand  at  the  breach?  There  is  need  of  true- 
hearted  women  and  right-hearted  men  —  of  moral, 
thoughtful,  law-abiding,  God-fearing  men  and  women, 
with  intelligence  enough  to  discern  the  follies  of  wild 
theorists  and  force  enough  to  resist  their  designs.  No 
"  reed  shaken  with  the  wind  "  will  do.     But  what  can 


In  dividuality  1 9 


you  or  I  do?  We  seem  like  the  almost  invisible  mote 
in  the  air,  that  the  sunbeam  discovers  to  us,  or  like  a  drop 
of  water  falling  into  the  sea.  But  not  so!  Who  can 
tell  the  value  of  a  single  noble  life?  It  may  not  be  great 
in  itself  as  the  world  judges  and  yet  be  felt  the  world 
over  through  other  lives  which  it  has  influenced.  It 
maybe  the  slender  cord  that  draws  the  mighty  cable  that 
spans  the  moral  chasm.  The  pious  little  maid  in 
Naanan's  house  had  an  influence  that  was  great  as  well 
as  Esther  in  the  palace.  Even  a  single  voice  crying  in 
the  wilderness  may  prepare  the  way  for  the  coming  of 
Jesus.  Let  us  not  then  take  a  despairing  view  of  life. 
Go  forth  hopefully,  strong  in  your  conscious  integrity, 
strong  in  the  truth  that  has  taken  possession  of  you  and 
above  all  strong  in  God.  Go  forth  with  love  to  God  and 
men,  unselfishly  consulting  your  nobler  self,  with  the  pur- 
pose to  do  good  to  men  as  you  have  opportunity,  to  make 
your  lives  a  blessing  to  mankind. 

Let  me  commend  to  your  attention  that  picture  of  a 
loyal  soul,  drawn  by  the  master  hand  of  Milton  — 

Among  the  faithless,  faithful  only  he ; 

Among  the  innumerable  false  unmoved, 

Unshaken,  unseduced,  unterrified 

His  loyalty  he  kept,  his  love,  his  zeal, 

Nor  number,  nor  example  with  him  wrought 

To  swerve  from  truth,  nor  change  his  constant  mind. 

And  remember  that  a  greater  than  Milton  has  said, 
as  one  having  both  authority  and  power,  "  Be  ye  faithful 
unto  death  and  I  will  give  thee  a  crown  of  life."  May 
that  crown  be  put  upon  the  head  of  everyone  of  }rou.  "  I 
consulted  with  myself,"  I  need  scarcely  say,  does  not  mean 
making  self  the  center  of  one's  being.  There  is  a  wide 
gulf  between  being  self-centered  and  self-mastered,  be- 
tween living  for  self  and  living  from  self. 

In  The  Life  of  Henry  Drummond  by  Dr.  George  Adam 
Smith  is  related  the  following  illustrative  fact: 


20  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

There  was  a  medical  student  a  year  or  two  ago  who 
was  half-way  through  his  course  when  it  dawned  upon 
him  that  he  had  been  living  for  himself  and  he  decided 
to  change  and  go  and  see  if  he  could  find  anyone  to  help. 
He  found  an  old  chum  who  had  gone  to  the  dogs,  given 
up  his  work  and  his  exams  and  was  living  aloof  from 
other  students  and  drinking  hard.  He  went  and  found 
him  lying  on  the  floor  drunk.  He  paid  his  debts,  took 
him  to  his  room,  gave  him  supper  and  put  him  to  bed. 
On  the  next  day  he  had  a  talk  with  him  and  they  entered 
into  a  written  contract  to  keep  them  both  straight  as  fol- 
lows — 

i.  Neither  of  us  to  go  out  alone. 

2.  Twenty  minutes  only  to  be  allowed  to  go  to  the 
college  and  return ;  overtime  to  be  accounted  for. 

3.  One  hour  every  night  to  be  given  over  to  reading 
other  than  studies. 

4.  That  bygones  be  bygones. 

Both  men  signed  and  they  lived  together.  After  a  time 
No.  2  saw  that  in  the  evening  hour  outside  of  studies  the 
Bible  was  read.  No.  1  never  spoke  to  him  about  it;  he 
simply  read  —  At  last  No.  2  changed.  What  he  changed 
to  I  need  not  say.  The  last  I  heard  of  them  was  this  — 
says  the  narrator.  No.  1  is  filling  an  appointment  of 
great  importance  in  London.  No.  2  passed  his  exams 
that  year  with  the  highest  university  distinction  and  is 
now  in  private  practice. 

It  was  a  splendid  piece  of  self-mastery  and  self-sacrifice. 
Did  it  pay?  Though  no  life  here  calls  for  such  heroic 
devotion,  it  may  suggest  to  us  how  admirable  a  thing 
it  is  to  be  the  helper  of  another  to  an  overcoming  life. 
Will  you  consult  with  yourself  about  it? 


SERMON  II,  1887 

A   YOUNG    MAN'S    COURAGE 

Let  no  man's  heart  fail  because  of  him;  thy  servant  will  go  and 
fight  with  this  Philistine. —  /  Samuel  17:  32. 

CHARLES  KINGSLEY  says  of  David  — "  A  great 
man  —  warrior,  statesman,  king,  poet,  prophet.  A 
man  of  many  joys  and  many  sorrows,  many  virtues  and 
many  crimes;  but  through  them  all  every  inch  a  man." 
The  prophet  Samuel  predicting  the  downfall  of  Saul  and 
the  elevation  of  another  to  his  place  speaks  of  David  as 
the  Lord's  choice  and  "  the  man  after  God's  own  heart." 
He  was  a  man  of  the  people  and  a  man  of  God.  He  won 
the  hearts  of  the  people  because  God  had  won  his  own 
heart.  He  was  manly  because  he  was  godly.  He  was 
manly  enough  to  be  sorry  for  sin  and  to  say  so  with  a 
heartiness  that  inspired  new  confidence.  Let  him  who 
confounds  pride  with  nobleness,  stubbornness  with  firm- 
ness, insolence  with  courage,  learn  a  lesson  of  humility  and 
penitence  and  even  passionate  confession  of  sin  from  this 
hero  of  the  valley  of  Elah.  He  was  never  more  manly 
than  when  he  cried  out  of  the  depths  of  his  soul — "  I 
acknowledge  my  transgression  and  my  sin  is  ever  before 
me." 

He  was  likewise  manly  enough  to  forgive  as  well  as  to 
confess.  It  is  the  small  soul  that  cherishes  a  grudge  and 
bides  its  time  for  revenge.  It  is  the  magnanimous  man 
or  woman  that  can  overlook  an  offense  and  bury  it  out 
of  sight.  Nabal  sent  an  insulting  reply  to  David's 
courteous  request  and  for  the  moment  his  blood  was  hot 
and  his  heart  was  bent  on  vengeance.  But  when  Nabal's 
wife  did  what  she  could  to  make  amends  for  her  hus- 

21 


22  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

band's  outrageous  act,  he  turned  from  his  dire  purpose 
and  blessed  God  that  by  her  coming  he  was  saved  from 
the  guilt  of  blood.  Saul  pursued  David  as  a  hunter  pur- 
sues a  partridge  in  the  mountains.  Everywhere  he  sought 
him  that  he  might  take  his  life;  yet  twice  Saul  was  in 
David's  hands  and  he  might  have  been  avenged.  But  he 
refrained  from  vengeance  and  also  restrained  his  friends. 
David's  nobleness  in  this  awakened  some  responsive  noble- 
ness in  Saul  so  that  he  returned  from  following  him  and 
exclaimed  — "  Behold  I  have  played  the  fool  and  have 
erred  exceedingly."  And  when  Saul  died  upon  the  bat- 
tlefield, instead  of  chuckling  over  the  fall  of  his  sworn 
foe,  he  utters  this  immortal  dirge,  welling  up  from  with- 
in his  distressed  soul — "  How  are  the  mighty  fallen!  — 
The  bow  of  Jonathan  turned  not  back  and  the  sword 
of  Saul  returned  not  empty.  Saul  and  Jonathan  were 
lovely  and  pleasant  in  their  lives  and  in  their  death  they 
were  not  divided ;  they  were  swifter  than  eagles,  they  were 
stronger  than  lions.  Ye  daughters  of  Israel,  weep  over 
Saul."  It  is  the  sorrowful  tribute  of  a  friend  rather  than 
the  constrained  testimony  of  a  foe. 

What  do  we  know  of  the  youth  of  this  generous, 
knightly,  heroic  man?  When  he  was  a  young  man  what 
promise  did  he  give  of  a  noble  career? 

Yonder  he  comes  at  the  call  of  his  father  Jesse.  He 
has  been  keeping  his  father's  flock  upon  the  hills  and 
plains.  He  comes  with  the  bounding  step  of  one  who 
has  been  breathing  the  pure  air  and  drinking  in  health 
with  every  breath.  As  the  Jews  describe  him,  his  hair 
is  red,  his  size  is  medium,  his  face  is  ruddy  and  beautiful. 
Such  are  his  endowments  of  body  and  soul,  of  nature  and 
grace,  that  he  is  singled  out  by  Samuel  by  direction  of 
the  Spirit  as  the  anointed  of  the  Lord  for  the  office  of 
king.  The  record  is  — "  And  the  spirit  of  the  Lord  came 
mightily  upon  him  from  that  day  forward."  Yet  he 
serenely  and  loyally  bided  his  time.  He  waited  for  God 
and  steadily  performed  his  humble  task.     Still  he  kept 


A   Young  Man's  Courage  23 

his  father's  flock  and  found  in  this  employ  a  school  for 
every  kingly  virtue.  Here  he  fought  with  wild  beasts 
and  wild  men  and  soon  gained  repute  as  a  valiant  man. 
At  length  opportunity  came  to  show  his  valor  before  the 
eyes  of  the  nation.  The  armies  of  Israel  confront  the 
armies  of  the  invading  Philistines.  A  mail-clad  giant 
sallies  forth  each  day  as  champion  of  the  enemies  of  the 
living  God  and  casts  defiance  in  the  face  of  Israel's  host. 
Who  will  accept  the  challenge  and  take  away  Israel's 
reproach?  Dismay  and  fear  filled  the  hearts  of  all  till 
David  appeared  upon  the  scene  and  said  to  Saul  — "  Let 
no  man's  heart  fail  because  of  him;  thy  servant  will  go 
and  fight  with  this  Philistine."     Let  us  consider 

I.  This  young  man's  courage.  Need  we  stop  to  define 
courage?  The  essential  quality  of  mind  which  it  rep- 
resents is  so  marked  and  striking  that  we  are  in  little 
danger  of  misconception.  It  may  be  mingled  with  other 
elements,  noble  or  ignoble,  on  account  of  which  we  dis- 
tinguish between  a  false  courage  and  a  true.  But  in  that 
which  is  peculiar  to  itself,  it  is  easily  recognized  by  all. 
It  is  that  which  gives  strength,  solidity,  force  to  the  man. 
It  is  that  which  makes  one  superior  to  difficulty  or  danger. 
Can  we  discover  some  of  the  factors  that  entered  into  the 
courage  of  David?  What  made  him  courageous  when 
all  about  him  were  terrified? 

1.  David  was  no  doubt  conscious  of  physical  strength. 
He  had  all  the  buoyancy  of  youth  and  robust  health. 
No  doubt  physical  vigor  helps  to  make  a  man  brave  and 
strong.  Depression  of  mind  is  likely  to  accompany  physi- 
cal weakness.  It  becomes  therefore  a  duty  of  every  one 
who  would  act  a  heroic  part  in  life  to  care  for  the  body 
through  which  his  purpose  must  be  achieved.  And  on  the 
other  hand,  it  is  more  shameful  for  one  equipped  by  God 
with  noble  powers  of  body  and  mind  to  shirk  the  task  to 
which  his  powers  are  more  than  equal. 

Emerson  says — "The  first  wealth  is  health;  sickness 
is  poor-spirited  and  cannot  serve  any  one."     There  never 


24  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

was  a  braver  man  than  Elijah  —  stern,  self-contained, 
intrepid.  He  was  the  John  Knox  of  Ahab's  day,  who 
never  feared  the  face  of  man,  yet  once  in  his  life  even 
he  lost  heart  and  asked  God  that  he  might  die.  And 
why?  No  doubt  there  were  reasons  for  his  despondency 
but  that  which  gave  them  control  over  him  was  his 
physical  exhaustion.  The  nervous  strain  of  Carmel  and 
succeeding  events  and  the  weariness  induced  by  travel  left 
him  at  the  mercy  of  discouraging  thoughts.  But  God 
gave  him,  what  he  needed,  sleep  and  food  —  the  shelter 
of  the  juniper  tree  and  seasonable  meat  and  drink  till  he 
rose  refreshed  and  went  in  the  strength  of  that  meat 
forty  days  and  forty  nights  unto  Horeb  the  mount  of 
God.  It  is  one  of  the  commendable  things  about  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  that  it  emphasizes  physical  as  well  as 
spiritual  culture. 

2.  David's  past  experience  gave  him  courage.  He  re- 
membered it  and  spake  of  it  in  this  connection.  Let  us 
think  of  it  now  only  on  its  human  side.  There  were 
achievements  which  his  intellect  had  planned  and  his 
hands  had  wrought.  We  do  not  fear  to  undertake  what 
we  have  accomplished  before.  The  surgeon  who  has  per- 
formed many  a  difficult  operation  finds  his  highest  pleasure 
in  the  case  that  tasks  his  skill.  The  veteran  of  many 
battles  sometimes  seems  absolutely  devoid  of  fear.  We 
wonder  at  the  steadiness  that  results  from  drill  and  hard 
service.  Why  is  it  that  ordinary  men  attain  such  in- 
difference to  danger?  A  military  man  discounts  our  ad- 
miration by  calling  it  a  "  mechanic  courage  which  the 
ordinary  race  of  men  become  masters  of  from  being  always 
in  a  crowd."  But  surely  David's  courage  was  not  due 
to  the  contact  and  supporting  presence  of  others,  for  he 
stood  alone  amid  a  panic-stricken  host  and  the  inspira- 
tion of  his  courageous  act  was  from  within  himself  and 
from  his  own  record.  He  relates  to  Saul  to  kindle  con- 
fidence — "  Thy  servant  smote  both  the  lion  and  the  bear ; 
and  this  uncircumcised  Philistine  shall  be  as  one  of  them." 


A   Young  Man's  Courage  25 

It  is  a  conclusion  of  his  mind  which  he  can  employ  to  in- 
struct others  and  not  a  mere  impulse  of  the  moment  or 
contagion  of  circumstances.  It  is  an  intelligent  infer- 
ence from  facts,  that  has  weight  with  all  who  are  capable 
of  appreciating  the  facts  and  reading  their  lesson.  He 
knew  what  he  could  do  with  his  strong  right  arm  and 
therefore  was  not  afraid  to  accept  the  gage  of  battle 
thrown  down  by  Goliath  of  Gath.  We  learn  to  be  self- 
reliant,  whether  in  mental  or  physical  effort,  by  training 
our  powers  by  use. 

3.  David's  courage  was  the  direct  outcome  of  faith  in 
God.  He  trusted  in  God  and  therefore  was  eager  for 
the  fray.  His  self-reliance  was  born  of  reliance  upon 
God.  Whatever  influence  we  may  attribute  to  his 
natural  and  acquired  fitness,  the  supreme  influence  was 
divine  —  a  faith  that  had  God  as  its  Author  and  its 
Object.  On  this  alone  does  David  lay  any  stress  what- 
ever. His  experience  to  which  he  refers  is  not  a  matter 
of  trained  muscles,  but  of  help  received.  He  does  not 
come  in  sight  as  an  Actor,  but  thrusts  God  before  the 
vision  of  Saul  as  the  real  Victor — "  The  Lord  that  deliv- 
ered me  out  of  the  paw  of  the  lion  and  out  of  the  paw 
of  the  bear,  he  will  deliver  me  out  of  the  hand  of  this 
Philistine."  And  as  with  bounding  step,  armed  only 
with  his  staff  and  sling,  he  ran  to  meet  his  antagonist 
in  the  open  field,  how  marked  the  contrast  between  the 
proud  disdain  of  the  one  and  the  humble  joyful  confidence 
of  the  other.  Listen  to  this  answer  of  faith  and  you 
cannot  mistake  the  paramount  source  of  his  courage  — 
"  Thou  comest  to  me  with  a  sword,  and  with  a  spear 
and  with  a  javelin;  but  I  come  to  thee  in  the  name  of  the 
Lord  of  hosts,  the  God  of  the  armies  of  Israel,  which 
thou  hast  defied.  This  day  will  the  Lord  deliver  thee 
into  my  hand." 

How  all  this  changes  the  nature  of  the  spectacle  we 
behold !  'Tis  not  a  mere  measuring  of  swords,  a  trial  of 
physical    strength    and    skill.     It    is    lifted    up    into    the 


26  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

higher  region  of  moral  courage  —  of  championship  of  the 
living  God.  There  is  a  high  issue  at  stake  between  right 
and  wrong,  between  God  and  his  enemies,  and  David  in 
God's  name  undertakes  the  battle  of  the  right.  And 
wherever  such  an  issue  is  made,  it  is  faith  in  God  that 
gives  courage  and  constancy  to  the  defenders  of  the 
righteous  cause.  Take  away  faith  in  God  and  you  clip 
the  wings  of  every  noble  aspiration.  Men  will  be  con- 
tent to  eat  and  drink  and  die  and  seek  for  nothing  higher 
than  present  comfort  and  ease.  Take  away  faith  in  God 
and  you  cut  the  sinews  of  effort  for  the  welfare  of  the 
race.  Write  it  in  the  convictions  of  men  that  there  is 
no  God  and  no  hereafter  and  you  write  the  death-war- 
rant of  every  moral  reform.  But  let,  on  the  other  hand, 
warm,  vigorous,  vitalizing  faith  in  God  possess  men's 
souls  and  it  will  make  them  strong  to  do  and  dare  in 
behalf  of  truth  and  humanity  for  His  sake. 

The  heroes  of  the  ages  are  heroes  of  faith.  Put  your 
finger  at  random  on  any  name  conspicuous  in  history  in 
connection  with  the  moral  progress  of  mankind  and  you 
may  without  fear  of  mistake  include  him  in  this  class. 
Moses  endured  as  "  seeing  him  who  is  invisible." 
Stephen  could  furnish  the  first  example  of  Christian 
martyrdom  because  he  believed  that  his  Divine  Redeemer 
was  at  the  right  hand  of  power.  Luther  cried — "So 
help  me  God."  Wilberforce  and  Buxton  were  men  as 
eminent  for  piety  as  for  philanthropy.  Lincoln,  under 
the  heavy  burden  of  his  exalted  station,  sought  once  and 
again  an  interest  in  the  people's  prayers.  Bismarck  and 
Gladstone  were  great  enough  to  do  homage  to  Him  whose 
throne  is  in  the  heavens.  Gordon,  the  hero  of  the  last 
century,  the  uncrowned  king,  was  pre-eminently  a  man 
of  faith.  You  remember  how  the  eyes  of  the  world 
turned  toward  Khartoum  with  intensest  interest.  And 
why?  Because  the  world's  most  heroic  life  was  in 
jeopardy.  And  what  was  the  secret  spring  of  his  hero- 
ism?    As  he  left  Cairo  he  wrote — "  I  am  so  glad  to  get 


A   Young  Mans  Courage  27 

away.  I  go  up  alone,  with  an  infinite  Almighty  God  to 
direct  and  guide  me ;  and  am  glad  to  so  trust  Him  as  to 
fear  nothing  and  indeed,  to  feel  sure  of  success."  Not 
only  was  his  heroism  associated  with  piety,  but  his  piety 
was  the  very  foundation  from  which  it  rose,  the  seed 
from  which  it  grew.  His  faith  was  as  singular  and  pro- 
nounced as  his  fearlessness. 

Thus  it  has  been  in  all  the  past.  Thus  it  will  be  in 
the  eventful  future.  The  heroes  of  truth  and  justice  and 
liberty  and  humanity  will  be  those  who  shall  follow  the 
footsteps  of  Joshua  and  Samuel  and  David,  of  Luther  and 
Knox  and  Gordon,  and  by  faith  in  God  tread  difficulties 
and  fears  under  their  feet.  Unto  the  exercise  of  this 
moral  courage  —  this  brave  championship  of  every  good 
cause  —  God  calls  every  one  of  you  young  men  and 
women.  "  Hearken  unto  me,  ye  that  know  righteous- 
ness, the  people  in  whose  heart  is  my  law ;  fear  ye  not  the 
reproach  of  men,  neither  be  ye  dismayed  at  their  revil- 
ings.  For  the  moth  shall  devour  them  like  a  garment, 
yea,  the  moth  shall  devour  them  like  wool :  but  my  right- 
eousness shall  be  forever,  and  my  salvation  from  genera- 
tion to  generation.  Who  art  thou  that  fearest  man  that 
shall  die,  and  forgettest  thy  God?  I  will  put  words 
in  thy  mouth,  and  cover  thee  in  the  shadow  of  my  hand, 
to  plant  the  heavens  and  lay  the  foundations  of  the 
earth." 

II.  The  cause  which  called  out  this  young  man's 
courage.  There  is  a  natural  physical  courage  that  may 
be  wedded  to  either  good  or  bad.  There  is  the  courage 
of  the  bandit  springing  from  the  lust  of  gain  or  the  love 
of  adventure.  There  is  the  courage  of  the  Nihilist  born 
of  despair.  But  when  it  is  a  thing  of  the  mind  and  con- 
science and  is  devoted  to  a  worthy  cause,  it  is  twice  noble 
and  our  admiration  may  be  unchecked  and  unqualified. 

1.  David's  courage  was  for  the  honor  and  safety  of 
Israel.  He  was  no  enemy  to  law  and  order.  He  did 
not  scatter  fire-brands  and  death.     He  did  not  seek  to 


28  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

undermine  the  existing  government  or  unsettle  the  foun- 
dations of  society. 

Never  was  subject  more  loyal  to  the  king  than  David 
was  to  Saul.  He  said,  "  Thy  servant  will  go."  Propos- 
ing no  terms,  setting  up  no  claims,  recognizing  Saul's 
superior  rank,  he  offers  the  service  of  a  faithful,  law- 
abiding,  obedient  subject.  He  is  a  servant  and  except  in 
a  lawful  war,  he  would  not  consent  to  be  anything  else. 
His  loyalty  is  the  more  remarkable  because  of  his  own 
knowledge  of  God's  purpose  concerning  him.  Samuel 
had  years  ago  anointed  him  to  be  Saul's  successor.  Why 
not  take  the  first  opportunity  to  gain  the  hearts  of  the 
people  and  spring  into  Saul's  seat?  Why  not  rebel  and 
summon  Samuel  as  a  witness  to  his  right  to  it?  No,  no. 
David's  mind  is  quite  the  opposite.  He  will  bide  God's 
time.  He  will  learn  to  rule  by  first  learning  to  obey. 
Even  when  Saul  became  his  enemy,  he  would  not  lift  a 
hand  to  strike  him  down.  This  gallant  act  won  for  him 
the  hearts  of  the  people,  but  it  was  not  meant  for  this. 
It  was  his  simple,  honorable,  loyal  purpose  to  maintain 
the  government  of  Saul  and  the  honor  of  Israel. 

It  seems  strange  that  Mr.  Mill  should  speak  of  patriot- 
ism as  a  virtue  lost  sight  of  in  a  "  purely  Christian 
ethics."  The  career  of  David  prior  to  his  ascension  to 
the  throne  is  itself  sufficient  answer  to  the  false  assertion. 
And  the  same  might  be  said  of  Joseph  and  Moses  and 
Nehemiah  and  Paul  — ■  nay  of  every  representative  Jew 
of  the  olden  time.  Patriotism  is  not  less  a  Christian  than 
a  national  virtue.  But  how  shall  patriotism  be  shown? 
Is  he  a  lover  of  his  country  who  praises  everything  and 
censures  nothing?  If  there  are  great  wrongs,  shall  they 
go  unrebuked?  or  shall  we,  David-like,  hurl  at  them  the 
stones  of  God's  truth?  Wherever  there  is  national  sin, 
there  is  national  weakness  and  he  best  loves  his  country 
who  loves  God  more. 

2.  David's  courage  was  for  the  honor  of  God.  He 
not  only  had  faith  in  God  but  had  a  single  eye  to  his 


A   Young  Man's  Courage  29 

glory.  How  clearly  this  appears  in  the  account  of  this 
transaction.  He  justifies  his  eager  confidence  in  going  to 
meet  Goliath  by  the  declaration  — "  Seeing  he  hath  defied 
the  armies  of  the  living  God."  His  mission  was  equally 
to  take  away  Israel's  reproach  and  to  vindicate  Jehovah. 
"  That  all  the  earth  may  know  there  is  a  God  in  Israel." 
And  is  it  not  the  mission  of  every  right-hearted  man  in 
our  time  to  bear  aloft  the  standard  of  Jehovah? 

Is  God's  law  set  aside?  Is  God's  Sabbath  trampled 
upon?  Is  God's  image  in  man  defaced?  Do  men  con- 
spire together  to  resist  God's  will?  Do  they  plot  against 
the  Lord  and  his  anointed  ?  Do  they  obstruct  the  progress 
and  triumph  of  Christ's  kingdom?  In  such  a  time  as 
this,  the  friends  of  Christ  must  come  forth  both  for  de- 
fense and  attack.  There  is  need  of  brave  men  and 
women  whose  hearts  God  has  touched  to  stand  in  the 
breach  —  to  maintain  the  cause  of  God  in  the  world  — 
to  push  on  the  conquest  of  Immanuel.  Let  every 
Christian  join  the  ranks  of  true  reform,  for  sake  of  God 
and  home  and  native  land.  Let  every  Christian  further 
the  cause  of  missions  at  home  and  abroad  for  sake  of  God 
and  humanity. 

wanted;  men 

Not  systems  fit  and  wise 
Not  faiths  with  rigid  eyes 
Not  wealth  in  mountain  piles 
Not  power  with   gracious  smiles 
Not  even y the  potent  pen. 
Wanted ;  men. 

Men  and  deeds 
Men  that  can  dare  and  do 
Not  longings  for  the  new 
Not  pratings  of  the  old 
Good  life  and  action  bold  — 
These  the  occasion  needs, 

Men  and  deeds. 


30  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

Young  ladies  and  gentlemen  of  the  graduating  class  of 
1887,  if  I  mistake  not  you  enter  upon  life  at  a  time  in 
the  nation's  history  when  you  will  have  ample  opportunity 
to  display  either  cowardice  or  courage.  Which  shall  it 
be?  You  mean  it  to  be  courage.  But  distinguish  be- 
tween the  appearance  and  the  thing.  A  bluff  and  bluster- 
ing manner  may  only  conceal  a  craven  spirit.  A  humble, 
quiet  demeanor  may  be  the  modest  veil  of  an  earnest,  in- 
tense, courageous  soul.  Be  right  at  heart,  all  on  fire  with 
love  to  truth  and  right  and  God  and  you  will  need  no 
tragic  manner  to  let  people  know  it. 

Conspicuous  service  is  seldom  or  never  a  mushroom 
growth.  Out  on  the  peaceful  hills,  where  he  tended  his 
father's  flock,  with  no  eye  gazing  on  him  but  the  Om- 
niscient, David  was  true  to  his  trust  and  with  faith  and 
courage  rescued  the  lamb  from  the  lion  and  the  bear.  It 
was  after  all  the  experience  of  his  retirement  that  he  slew 
the  giant  and  returned  from  the  field  to  hear  the  air  rent 
at  the  gates  of  every  city  with  the  shout — "Saul  hath 
slain  his  thousands  and  David  his  ten  thousands."  So  it 
will  be  with  you.  By  performing  a  courageous  part 
wherever  God  puts  you  now,  you  will  husband  strength 
for  a  more  important  day  in  the  future.  Moreover, 
have  you  ever  thought  how  much  of  the  world's  best 
work  is  done  by  her  young  men  and  women?  John 
Howard  was  28  when  he  began  to  alleviate  the  miseries 
of  mankind.  Elizabeth  Fry  entered  on  a  similar  work 
at  30.  Luther  had  gone  through  all  his  long  struggle 
for  light  and  freedom  and  yet  was  only  34  years  of  age 
when  he  nailed  his  95  theses  on  the  door  of  the  church 
at  Wittenberg.  Garibaldi  began  his  revolutionary  career 
at  28.  Joan  of  Arc  took  the  field  at  18  and  led  forth 
the  French  troops  to  victory.  McCheyne  lived  not  quite 
30  years  to  make  his  name  a  household  word  all  over 
Scotland  —  yea  all  over  Christendom.  The  life  of  Jesus 
—  if  we  may  mention  his  matchless  name  along  with  those 
of  his  servants  —  was  only  a  few  years  in  length  and  yet 


A  Young  Mans  Courage  31 

it  was  enough  to  change  the  face  of  the  whole  earth. 

Do  not  then  wait  for  the  future.  Begin  at  once  to  live 
out  a  noble  spirit.  You  may  not  have  any  other  years 
to  do  good  in  than  those  which  are  now  passing.  In  any 
case  they  are  your  training  school  for  future  usefulness. 
It  is  the  "  village  Hampden  "  who  will,  if  occasion  re- 
quire, withstand  the  tyrant  of  the  Commonwealth.  But 
expect  not  to  escape  the  penalty  of  faithfulness.  There 
may  be  trials  as  the  test  and  voucher  of  your  fidelity. 
But  let  not  your  heart  fail  because  of  this.  Solomon 
said  — "  A  living  dog  is  better  than  a  dead  lion,"  and  the 
words  are  true  as  he  meant  them,  true  concerning  the 
capacity  for  enjoyment  and  effort  in  the  present  life. 
But  if  you  estimate  men  by  their  moral  worth,  their  real 
worth  to  mankind,  let  us  rather  say  — "  A  dead  lion  is 
better  than  a  living  dog."  Haddock  dead  counts  more 
than  his  murderer  alive.  A  dead  Gambrell  is  better  than 
a  living  champion  of  the  saloon.  Be  bold  for  the  cause 
that  commends  itself  to  your  judgment  and  conscience  as 
right.  Be  zealous  for  the  honor  of  God  and  the  wel- 
fare of  man.  Be  a  Christian  at  all  hazards.  I  am  as- 
sured that  all  the  members  of  this  class  make  confession 
of  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ.  Let  me  urge  you  to  be 
loyal,  consecrated,  courageous  servants  of  your  acknowl- 
edged Lord  and  Master  as  long  as  you  live. 

Keep  looking  unto  Jesus,  the  author  and  finisher  of 
your  faith  who  for  the  joy  that  was  set  before  Him  en- 
dured the  cross,  despising  the  shame.  And  when  life  is 
closed  and  the  judgment  is  set,  may  you  every  one  stand 
unabashed  before  Him  whose  eyes  are  as  a  flame  of  fire 
and  hear  Him  say — "  Faithful  over  a  few  things,  I  will 
make  thee  ruler  over  many  things.  Enter  into  the  joy 
of  thy  Lord." 


SERMON  III,  1888 
"and  who  is  my  neighbor?" 

But  he,  willing  to  justify  himself  said  unto  Jesus  — "  And  <who 
is  my  neighbor?  " — Luke  10:  2Q. 

RATIONALISTIC  interpreters  are  accustomed  to 
speak  of  Jesus  as  a  "  wonderful  genius,"  whose  clear 
seer-like  insight  into  truth  and  men  awakens  their  fervent 
admiration.  While  we  recognize  in  Him  something  infi- 
nitely more  than  they  find  —  words  as  well  as  acts  that  are 
Divine,  we  may  admire  with  them  the  brilliant  answers, 
the  matchless  skill  of  the  man  Christ  Jesus.  We  read 
the  simple,  unadorned  story  of  his  encounter  with  the 
Pharisees  and  Sadducees  and  Herodians  who  came  to  en- 
tangle him  in  their  talk  (Math.  22).  We  see  him  foil 
their  attack  at  every  point  of  approach.  The  Sadducees 
came  with  a  poser  concerning  the  resurrection ;  but  to  the 
astonishment  of  the  multitude  he  put  them  to  silence  by 
arguments  they  could  not  gainsay.  Then  the  Pharisees 
learning  nothing  from  the  discomfiture  of  their  old  time 
foes  pressed  forward  to  the  attack.  But  so  quickly  and 
authoritatively  came  the  answer  to  their  test-question, 
an  answer  so  obviously  complete  and  true  that  they  too 
were  driven  back  into  a  state  of  quiescence.  Then  turn- 
ing upon  them  Jesus  pressed  his  advantage  with  a  question 
they  could  not  even  attempt  to  answer.  Their  rout  was 
so  complete  and  overwhelming  that  "  No  man  was  able 
to  answer  him  a  word ;  neither  durst  any  man  from  that 
day  forward  ask  him  any  more  questions." 

Who  can  restrain  admiration  of  the  man  as  we  see  him 
thus  calmly  and  effectively  disposing  of  his  assailants  one 
by  one,  without  bitterness  and  yet  without  coming  short 
of  their  entire  vanquishment. 

32 


"And  Who  Is  My  Neighbor?"  33 

We  have  a  somewhat  similar  feeling  as  we  read  this 
account  of  the  interview  of  a  certain  lawyer  with  Jesus. 
What  wondrous  tact  the  Saviour  shows!  What  freedom 
from  assumption !  What  deference  to  the  learned  scribe ! 
Yet  what  certainty  of  aim!  How  simply  and  surely  he 
leads  him  into  the  truth  and  arrests  cavil  by  making  it 
well-nigh  impossible.  The  lawyer  asks,  "  Master,  what 
shall  I  do  to  inherit  eternal  life  ?  "  and  Jesus  adroitly 
refers  the  question  by  asking  — "  What  is  written  in  the 
law?  how  readest  thou?"  The  law  was  the  scribe's 
own  standard.  It  was  his  business  to  know  and  declare 
it;  Jesus  asked  what  he  could  not  refuse  to  answer  and 
at  the  same  time  made  a  graceful  recognition  of  his  learn- 
ing in  the  law.  So  the  answer  came  without  any  ap- 
parent reluctance  — "  Thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God 
with  all  thy  heart,  and  with  all  thy  soul  and  with  all  thy 
strength  and  with  all  thy  mind:  and  thy  neighbor  as  thy- 
self." Immediately  Jesus  declared  his  approval  — "  Thou 
hast  answered  right,  this  do  and  thou  shalt  live."  The 
lawyer  came  for  controversy  and  lo !  it  is  ended  before 
it  has  begun.  He  came  to  entrap  Jesus  and  only  gets 
from  him  a  confirmation  of  the  doctrine  of  the  law. 

Prompt  to  see  his  situation,  he  seeks  to  cover  his  re- 
treat by  another  question.  Though  they  seem  so  well 
agreed,  possibly  on  some  one  point  their  views  may  be 
diverse.  Willing  to  justify  himself,  hoping  to  shield  his 
personal  pride,  he  asks — "And  who  is  my  neighbor?" 
The  answer  came  in  the  parable  of  the  Good  Samaritan, 
which  is  equally  admirable  as  an  answer  to  the  questioner 
and  as  an  exhibition  of  a  great  truth.  Certainly  we  owe 
a  debt  to  this  ancient  caviller,  whose  perversity  became 
the  occasion  of  the  creation  of  so  precious  a  treasure  as 
is  here  imbedded  in  the  Christian  Scriptures.  Let  us 
seek  to  discover  the  Saviour's  answer  to  the  lawyer's 
question  and  what  it  involves  in  human  duty. 

I.  Who  is  my  neighbor? 

II.  What  is  neighborly  conduct? 


34  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

Neighbor  means  one  near  to  me.  But  what  is  it  makes 
one  near?  What  are  the  boundary  lines  of  neighborhood? 
How  extensive  is  the  enclosure  within  which  its  law 
should  reign?  In  ancient  times  it  was  variously  circum- 
scribed. Society  was  divided  by  both  horizontal  and 
vertical  lines.  Barriers  of  mountain  and  river  and 
language  were  intersected  by  barriers  of  rank  and  station 
and  prejudice. 

The  Greeks  counted  all  outside  of  their  own  nation 
Barbarians,  deserving  only  their  contempt.  The  term  it- 
self means  alien,  but  the  exclusive  hostile  spirit  of  the 
Greeks  gave  it  a  new  and  opprobrious  meaning  that 
almost  covered  the  original  from  view.  It  was  so  used 
by  the  Romans,  who  borrowing  their  learning  from  the 
Greeks,  readily  imbibed  their  spirit  and  regarded  all  be- 
yond those  favored  nations  as  deserving  of  no  considera- 
tion at  their  hand. 

The  Jews  likewise  had  the  same  national  narrowness. 
All  outside  their  own  race  were  Gentile  dogs,  to  be  driven 
from  their  presence  as  unclean.  Their  own  law  said  — 
"  Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself."  But  by  their 
interpretation  their  neighbor  was  a  Jew  and  a  Jew  only 
and  so  by  their  false  gloss  they  changed  the  whole 
character  of  the  second  great  commandment  of  the  law 
until  it  read  in  their  thought  — "  Thou  shalt  love  thy 
neighbor  and  hate  thine  enemy."  They  made  it  sanction 
the  very  thing  it  was  meant  to  condemn.  They  brought 
hate  into  equal  prominence  with  love  and  placed  both 
under  the  approving  aegis  of  Sinai. 

They  so  interpreted  neighbor  as  to  exclude  therefrom 
even  the  Samaritan  who  dwelt  in  their  own  land  of 
Palestine.  Geographically  they  were  very  near,  but  af- 
fectionately they  were  distant  as  the  poles.  In  the  days 
of  Jesus  so  bitter  was  the  antipathy  that  they  had  no  busi- 
ness or  social  relations,  no  dealings  whatever  with  one 
another.  When  the  Jews  were  angry  with  Jesus  because 
he  told   them  the  truth,  they  could  find  no  word  that 


"  And  Who  Is  My  Neighbor?  "  35 

would  so  give  vent  to  their  anger  and  expression  to  their 
contempt  as  the  name  of  the  hated  sect.  They  hurl  it 
as  a  fierce  javelin  in  the  face  of  Jesus  with  all  the  energy 
of  their  fury  — "  Thou  art  a  Samaritan  and  hast  a 
devil."  This  questioning  lawyer  no  doubt  would  have 
scorned  to  reckon  the  Samaritan  as  the  object  of  his  love 
and  therefore  when  the  Saviour  pictured  him  performing 
a  philanthropic  act  he  refused  to  give  him  credit  except 
by  the  paraphrase  — "  He  that  showed  mercy  on  him." 

But  there  were  other  lines  than  those  which  bound 
states  and  provinces  that  limited  neighborhood.  Brah- 
mans  and  Sudras  were  kept  apart  by  inflexible  rule,  and 
whatever  reform  Buddhism  effected  in  any  way  it  never 
touched  the  institutions  of  caste.  Through  all  the  dreary 
centuries  of  Hindooism  there  is  no  displacement  of  rank, 
no  crossing  or  intermingling.  High  caste  and  low  caste 
cannot  be  neighbors  because  there  are  unscalable  walls 
between  them.  Plato's  state  was  a  pyramid  with  a 
philosopher  at  its  apex  and  the  mass  of  the  people  at  its 
base.  Individuality  was  to  be  crushed  out  and  the  state 
was  to  be  all  in  all.  Aristotle  said  — "  It  is  evident  that 
some  persons  are  slaves  and  others  freemen  by  the  ap- 
pointment of  nature."  These  highest  teachers  of  ancient 
philosophy  thus  limit  the  domain  of  neighborhood  to  those 
of  like  capacities.  Philosopher  to  philosopher,  ruler  to 
ruler,  slave  to  slave  —  is  neighbor.  As  yet  the  worth  of 
man  as  man  is  undiscovered.  Not  till  Christ  came  was 
it  announced  that  man  to  man  is  neighbor,  that  accidents 
of  nationality  and  rank  and  gifts  are  all  subordinate  to  the 
royal  dignity  that  belongs  to  every  man  as  the  possessor 
of  a  human  soul.  To  Christianity  belongs  the  honor  of 
furnishing  a  right  ideal  of  humanity  and  of  securing  sway 
for  it  over  great  masses  of  men.  Jesus  exhibited  it  in  his 
own  life  of  impartial  fellowship  for  service  with  men 
of  all  classes  and  conditions,  with  Publican  and  Pharisee, 
with  sinner  and  saint,  with  nobleman  and  slave,  with  rich 
and  poor.     He  put  his  estimate  upon  any  and  every  soul 


36  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

by  the  price  he  paid  for  its  redemption.  The  Gospel  of 
his  Kingdom  is  not  fettered  by  conditions  for  one  any 
more  than  for  another.  The  call  is  to  all  —  to  sinful 
men  and  women  without  exception. —  Come  and  be  saved. 
The  glory  that  is  promised  is  the  common  possession  of 
all  the  ransomed  of  the  Lord.  Lazarus,  notwithstanding 
his  poverty,  was  carried  by  the  angels  into  Abraham's 
bosom  and  the  thief  on  the  cross  entered  as  soon  as  he 
died  into  paradise  with  Jesus.  Let  facts  and  truths  such 
as  these  enter  into  the  experience  and  convictions  of  a 
man  and  his  whole  conception  of  man's  worth  is  changed. 
He  sees  that  everyone  is  near  to  him,  who  has  the  same 
nature  with  himself,  the  same  sinfulness,  the  same  op- 
portunity of  salvation,  the  same  endowment  of  immortal- 
ity. This  is  the  lesson  taught  by  this  parable.  And 
here  again  mark  the  insinuating,  masterly  way  in  which 
it  is  done.  He  does  not  spring  at  once  to  the  delicate 
point  of  his  answer.  We  can  scarcely  say  it  is  by  in- 
direction yet  certainly  it  is  not  by  direct  statement.  We 
have  as  it  were  the  negative  from  which  the  picture  is 
transferred.  We  look  as  it  were  upon  the  face  of  the  ar- 
ranged types  from  which  the  glowing  page  is  taken. 
The  parable  contains  the  answer  to  the  lawyer's  question 
and  the  impression  it  makes  is  clear  and  legible.  The 
man  in  the  way  is  neighbor  to  priest  and  Levite  and 
Samaritan  alike.  The  Samaritan  excelled  those  who 
went  before  because  without  thinking  of  his  belongings 
he  saw  the  man  and  his  plight  and  came  to  his  rescue. 
Hold  this  parable  up  in  the  light  and  there  comes  out  as 
in  a  transparency  this  inwoven  truth  —  Ever}'  man  is  thy 
neighbor. 

And  yet  we  must  own  the  world  is  slow  to  learn  it  — 
ever  learning  yet  never  coming  to  the  full  understanding 
of  it.  Every  age  must  learn  for  itself  and  give  it  some 
new  application.  And  yet  the  world  is  making  headway 
toward  its  perfect  recognition.  The  light  shines  more 
and  more  as  it  advances  toward  the  perfect  day.     Step 


"And  Who  Is  My  Neighbor?"  37 

by  step  since  Christ  has  corne  we  see  the  steady  gain  of 
man.  The  Reformation  was  an  advance  on  scholasti- 
cism; the  declaration  of  Independence  is  a  long  stride 
ahead  of  the  political  symbols  of  the  old  world.  And 
yet  in  this  republic  flaunting  this  declaration  to  the  breeze, 
declaring  all  men  free  and  equal  there  were  slaves  through 
three-fourths  of  our  history.  Mrs.  Browning  voiced  the 
feelings  of  the  runaway  slave  in  a  poem,  which  contains 
these  words  — 

Whips,  curses;  these  must  answer  those 
For  in  this  Union,  you  have  set 
Two  kinds  of  men  in  adverse  rows, 
Each  loathing  each ;  and  all  forget 
The  seven  wounds  in  Christ's  body  fair. 

Thank  God!  that  reproach  is  taken  away.  Never 
more  shall  the  wail  of  the  oppressed  be  heard  in  our  land. 
So  say  we  all.  But  is  it  true?  Is  the  struggle  of  Christ's 
truth  concerning  man  ended  ?  Have  we  no  more  to  plead 
the  cause  of  the  poor  against  the  oppressor?  Alas!  the 
bright  vision  is  soon  dispelled  as  we  look  within  and 
around  us.  It  is  a  dull  ear  that  hears  no  cry.  It  is  a 
dull  intellect  that  discerns  no  divergence  from  this  law  of 
Christ.  We  need  not  go  beyond  our  own  thoughts  and 
feelings  to  find  discriminations  and  partialities  and  injus- 
tices that  are  at  variance  with  it.  We  need  to  learn  it 
over  and  over  and  over  again,  to  drink  in  its  very  spirit, 
to  square  our  sentiments  and  actions  by  its  measure. 

Men  of  the  South,  abate  your  prejudices  against  the 
man  of  darker  hue.  The  black  man  is  thy  neighbor. 
Capitalist  of  the  North,  consider  him  who  toils  for  thee 
in  mill  or  mine.  The  workman  is  thy  neighbor.  Social 
leaders,  be  not  of  those  whom  Hannah  More  describes, 
"  Who  think  their  little  set  mankind."  They  are  thy 
neighbors  who  do  thee  faithful  service.  The  Ribbonman 
is  neighbor  to   the  Orangeman,   the  Chinese  quarter  is 


38  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

neighbor  to  the  sand  lots.  The  Nations  of  the  earth  are 
open  to  each  other  as  never  before.  God  is  bringing  them 
together  by  steamship  and  railway  and  telegraph,  until 
scarcely  any  land  can  be  said  to  be  afar  off.  The  very 
ends  of  the  earth  are  saying  to  each  other  —  We  are 
neighbors.  Thus  events  seem  to  echo  and  emphasize  the 
thought  of  Christ  —  that  man  to  man  is  neighbor  — 
every  man  to  every  other  the  world  over.  Let  us  now 
in  the  second  place  inquire 

II.  What  is  neighborly  conduct? 

The  principle  of  it  is  in  that  old  command,  which  is 
ever  new — "Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself." 
Love  and  not  hate  is  the  essence  of  true  philanthropy  — 
nay  of  all  Christian  morality.  "  Love  is  the  fulfilling 
of  the  law."  This  is  the  "  royal  law  "  of  which  James 
speaks  to  fulfil  which  he  declares  is  "  to  do  well." 

We  have  a  good  practical  illustration  of  it  in  the 
parable  to  which  we  are  wise  to  give  attention. 

It  suggests  the  positiveness  of  the  affection  required. 
That  is  something  more  than  indifference.  To  love  is 
not  merely  not  to  hate.  Indifference  can  pass  by  on  the 
other  side.  That  was  what  the  priest  did  and  the  Levite 
did  little  more  except  that  he  stood  and  looked  at  the 
sufferer  before  he  passed  on.  So  there  are  many  who 
congratulate  themselves  on  their  supposed  innocence  be- 
cause they  hate  nobody  or  on  their  supposed  benevolence 
because  they  are  ready  to  exclaim  —  What  a  pity !  But 
genuine  love  does  more  than  look  on  the  object  of  pity. 
It  yearns  to  help  and  does  it  if  it  can.  It  is  the  fire 
within  its  possessor  that  impels  him  to  seek  after  and 
relieve  the  needy.  What  a  picture  of  a  generous,  large- 
hearted  man  of  wealth  is  that  given  by  Job  — "  When  the 
ear  heard  me  then  it  blessed  me;  and  when  the  eye  saw 
me  it  gave  witness  to  me;  because  I  delivered  the  poor 
that  cried  and  the  fatherless  and  him  that  had  none  to 
help.  The  blessing  of  him  that  was  ready  to  perish  came 
upon  me  and  I  caused  the  widow's  heart  to  sing  for  joy. 


"  And  Who  Is  My  Neighbor?  "  39 

—  I  was  eyes  to  the  blind  and  feet  was  I  to  the  lame. 
I  was  father  to  the  poor;  and  the  cause  which  I  knew 
not  I  searched  out."  True  love  does  not  wait  to  be 
goaded  to  do  good  but  searches  out  its  object.  The 
radiator  in  your  room  in  summer  time  simply  receives  its 
temperature  from  the  surrounding  atmosphere,  but  in  the 
winter  time  it  radiates  heat  till  the  whole  atmosphere 
about  it  is  warm  and  comfortable.  The  former  fitly 
represents  the  many:  the  latter  the  few.  It  is  only  here 
and  there,  or  at  least  only  now  and  then  for  the  most 
of  us  that  we  are  consumed  with  the  desire  to  bless  man- 
kind. While  we  bless  God  that  there  are  exceptional 
instances  of  devotion  such  as  John  Howard  and  Florence 
Nightingale  and  David  Brainerd  and  Livingstone,  we 
may  well  take  shame  to  ourselves  that  they  are  excep- 
tional. Are  we  not  living  at  a  poor  dying  rate,  though 
we  scarcely  seem  to  know  it?  If  we  look  again  at  the 
parable  it  suggests  that  true  philanthropy  is  practical. 
When  the  Samaritan  saw  the  waylaid  sufferer,  he  came 
where  he  was.  He  did  not  gather  up  his  robes  lest  they 
be  defiled  and  keep  at  a  self-protecting  distance.  He  did 
not  suffer  ecclesiastical  or  social  conventionalities  to  check 
the  impulse  of  a  warm  heart.  He  "  came  where  the  man 
was."  There  is  a  double  benefit  given  and  returned 
when  with  our  own  hands  we  minister  to  the  needs  of 
others.  We  must  visit  them  where  they  are  if  we  would 
confer  the  greatest  benefit  and  fully  enjoy  the  luxury  of 
doing  good. 

The  Samaritan,  having  come  to  a  full  knowledge  of  the 
man's  condition,  "  bound  up  his  wounds,  pouring  in  oil 
and  wine,  and  set  him  on  his  own  beast  and  brought  him 
to  an  inn  and  took  care  of  him."  He  was  pains-taking 
and  thorough.  He  spared  neither  expense  nor  labor. 
He  was  disinterested  and  self-sacrificing.  He  assumed 
the  inn-keeper's  bill,  paying  part  in  advance  and  giving 
his  obligation  for  the  remainder.  All  this  was  done  for 
a  stranger  to  whom  others  were  as  much  related  as  he. 


40  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

He  differed  from  them  in  this  only,  that  he  felt  the  obli- 
gation to  befriend  the  stranger  and  they  did  not.  He 
did  not  wait  for  the  co-operation  of  others  but  carried 
out  independently  the  noble  suggestions  of  his  own  heart 
and  conscience.  It  is  not  enough  for  us  to  say  —  Be  ye 
warmed  and  filled,  if  we  give  not  those  things  needful 
for  the  body.  It  is  not  enough  for  us  to  pity  the  poor 
victims  of  vice  while  we  never  reach  out  a  hand  to  lift 
them  out  of  the  pit  into  which  they  have  fallen.  It  is 
not  enough  for  us  to  cry  —  Bravo!  to  the  heroic  souls 
that  count  not  their  lives  dear  to  them,  that  they  may 
carry  good  tidings  to  the  perishing  while  we  maintain  a 
cowardly  missionary  policy  at  home  by  our  niggardliness. 
While  we  pray  —  Thy  Kingdom  come !  we  should  second 
our  prayers  by  helping  every  practical  effort  to  hasten  its 
coming.  True  neighborly  conduct  has  regard  to  the 
whole  man  —  to  his  physical  comfort  on  the  one  hand 
and  to  his  moral  and  spiritual  well-being  on  the  other. 
When  rightly  adjusted,  efforts  in  either  direction  will 
contribute  to  the  success  of  efforts  in  the  other.  The 
starving  must  have  bread  before  he  will  listen  to  the 
cheering  story  of  the  Gospel  and  on  the  other  hand  when 
the  Gospel  is  received  it  will  promote  industry  and  thrift. 
Earl  Shaftsbury  had  a  heart  that  sympathized  equally 
with  the  poor  in  London  and  the  degraded  in  foreign 
lands  and  when  he  died  one  of  the  most  striking  tributes 
to  his  memory  was  the  fact  that  "  the  shoeblack  brigade 
with  crepe  on  arm  stood  outside  Westminster  in  the  rain 
while  his  funeral  went  on  within."  What  a  beautiful 
story  is  that  which  is  told  of  the  Princess  Eugenia  of 
Sweden.  Her  friends  were  amazed  at  her  folly,  yet 
eternity  will  disclose  her  wisdom.  Selling  her  jewels,  the 
heirlooms  of  many  generations,  she  built  from  the  pro- 
ceeds a  home  for  cripples  on  an  island  she  happened  to 
visit  in  search  of  her  own  health  and  then  crowned  her 
generous  gift  with  her  own  personal  service.  Daily  she 
went  to  minister  to  those  poor  afflicted  ones  for  Jesus' 


"And  Who  Is  My  Neighbor?"  41 

sake.  And  the  beginning  of  her  reward  came  in  her 
work,  the  end  of  it  will  never  come.  A  poor  woman 
to  whom  she  had  brought  the  news  concerning  Jesus 
blessed  the  Lord  for  the  Princess'  coming  and  kissed 
her  hand  while  tears  from  her  dying  eyes  fell  on  it. 
And  as  the  Princess  saw  the  tear-drops  glistening  in  the 
sun-light  she  said  — "  O  my  Saviour,  I  sold  my  jewels  for 
thee,  but  I  see  them  all  restored,  and  how  much  more 
beautiful  they  are  than  when  I  formerly  owned  them !  " 
Was  she  not  all  the  more  queenly  because  she  fulfilled 
the  royal  law  of  God  — "  Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbor 
as  thyself." 

But  while  the  spirit  of  Jesus,  who  went  about  doing 
good,  leads  men  and  women  to  care  for  the  bodies  of  men, 
it  is  especially  concerned  about  the  souls  of  men.  It  is 
the  moral  and  spiritual  degradation  of  the  drunkard  that 
more  than  all  else  awakens  the  pity  of  his  fellows  and 
causes  such  energy  of  purpose  in  behalf  of  the  cause  of 
temperance.  It  is  the  fact  that  men  everywhere  need  the 
Gospel  and  without  it  are  lost  that  arouses  the  zeal  and 
enthusiasm  of  the  Church  in  behalf  of  the  missionary 
cause.  Every  noble  charity  —  every  true  reform  —  every 
agency  of  the  Gospel  has  a  claim  on  us  because  it  is  in 
the  interest  of  humanity.  Henry  M.  Stanley  went  first 
to  the  Dark  Continent  in  search  of  Livingstone,  some- 
what in  the  spirit  of  adventure.  But  contact  with  the 
old  hero  changed  his  whole  idea  of  missions.  He  writes 
— "  In  1870  I  went  to  him  as  prejudiced  as  the  biggest 
atheist  in  London. —  But  there  came  for  me  a  long  time 
for  reflection.  I  was  out  there  away  from  a  worldly 
world.  I  saw  the  solitary  old  man  there  and  asked  my- 
self — '  How  on  earth  does  he  stop  here  ?  —  What  is  it 
that  inspires  him?  "  But  little  by  little  his  sympathy  for 
others  became  contagious ;  my  sympathy  was  aroused ; 
seeing  his  piety,  his  gentleness,  his  zeal,  his  earnestness, 
and  how  he  went  quietly  about  his  business,  I  was  con- 
verted by  him,  though  he  never  tried  to  do  it."     Such 


42  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

testimony  is  honorable  alike  to  both  and  is  sufficient  to 
link  their  names  together  as  lovers  of  their  race. 

My  young  friends,  I  only  wish  that  I  might  enlist 
you  more  heartily  in  the  cause  of  man.  Your  fields  of 
service  may  be  various  —  some  in  one  vocation  and  some 
in  another  —  some  at  home  and  some  abroad  —  some  in 
retirement  and  some  in  the  high  places  of  the  field ;  but 
let  it  be  the  ambition  of  you  all  to  leave  the  world,  better, 
happier,  purer  for  your  having  lived  in  it. 

Believing  that  Christianity  is  the  only  cure  for  the  ills 
of  society  and  that  its  universal  prevalence  in  power  is 
more  to  be  desired  than  anything  else,  I  am  glad  that  so 
many  of  you  expect  to  serve  God  and  your  fellow  men 
in  the  ministry.  It  is  an  inspiring  moment  in  the  history 
of  mankind  and  especially  in  the  history  of  missions. 
Never  was  the  cry  of  the  nations  so  clear  and  urgent 
as  now  —  Come  over  and  help  us.  The  fields  are  open 
and  everywhere  whitening  to  the  harvest  and  the  prayer 
of  the  Church  is  ascending  to  the  Lord  of  the  harvest  that 
he  would  send  forth  laborers  into  his  harvest.  Some  of 
you  that  may  be  yet  halting,  I  trust  may  be  the  answer 
to  that  prayer. 

But  if  providence  marks  out  for  you  another  course, 
still  let  me  assure  you  that  Christ  wishes  your  service 
none  the  less.  Christ  needs  men  in  all  callings.  If  God 
in  the  years  to  come  shall  give  you  abundant  means,  the 
cause  of  India  needs  money  as  well  as  men.  Said  Andrew 
Faller  to  Carey  the  pioneer  missionary  to  India  — 
"  There  is  a  gold  mine  in  India;  but  it  seems  almost  as 
deep  as  the  centre  of  the  earth.  Who  will  venture  to 
explore  it?"  And  the  answer  of  Carey  was — "I  will 
go  down,  but  remember  that  you  must  hold  the  ropes." 
If  there  are  men  going  to  Englewood  and  Denver  and 
Portland  and  San  Diego  —  to  Egypt  and  India  as  ex- 
plorers in  search  of  souls,  there  is  need  of  a  strong  body 
of  men  and  women  to  hold  the  ropes,  to  sustain  them  by 
their  means. 


"And  Who  Is  My  Neighbor?"  43 

The  outlook  is  cheering.  We  sometimes  picture  the 
threatening  cloud,  the  coming  storm,  the  approaching 
crisis  in  such  appalling  colors  that  we  are  well-nigh  ready 
to  lose  hope.  It  is  no  doubt  well  to  realize  the  magnitude 
of  our  undertaking.  But  let  us  often  turn  and  look  also 
on  the  brighter  side.  Compare  the  present  with  any- 
former  day  in  regard  to  reform  or  missionary  zeal  and 
you  will  find  reason  for  renewed  confidence  —  not  for 
complacency  or  pride  maybe  but  surely  for  encouragement. 
There  are  struggles  but  there  are  heroes  to  maintain  them. 
There  are  defeats  but  they  are  the  stepping  stones  to 
larger  victories.  We're  beaten  back  in  many  a  fray,  Yet 
ever  strength  we  borrow.  And  where  the  vanguard 
rests  today,  the  rear  shall  camp  tomorrow. 

Young  men  and  women  of  the  class  of  1888,  we  do 
not  ask  you  to  espouse  any  lost  or  losing  cause. 

We  would  rally  the  sons  and  daughters  of  our  time 
to  the  cause  of  truth  and  right  —  the  cause  of  God  and 
humanity  that  must  and  will  prevail.  We  do  not  ask 
you  to  pitch  your  tent  in  the  words  of  Garfield  in  any 
"  graveyard  of  dead  issues."  The  living  issues  of  every 
time  are  those  which  concern  the  liberty,  progress,  eleva- 
tion and  salvation  of  men.  Let  it  be  the  aim  of  everyone 
of  you  to  bless  mankind  by  unselfish,  cheery,  serviceable, 
consecrated  lives.  Love  God  and  Jesus  Christ  and  you 
cannot  fail  to  love  your  neighbor  who  is  made  in  the 
image  of  God.  Really  love  your  neighbor  and  you  can- 
not fail  to  serve  him.  And  when  you  pass  away  from 
the  scenes  of  earth  may  it  be  written  of  you  —  not  on 
your  tombstones,  but  in  God's  book  and  in  the  grateful 
memory  of  others,  of  this  one  — "  He  served  his  genera- 
tion well  "  and  of  that  one  — "  She  scattered  blessings 
wherever  she  went  "  and  of  you  all  — "  They  were  faith- 
ful ;  worthy  followers  of  Him  who  was  himself  the  Good 
Samaritan  — "  who  came  not  to  be  ministered  unto  but  to 
minister  and  to  give  his  life  a  ransom  for  many." 


SERMON  IV,  1889 

COMPLICITY   WITH    CRIME 

But  they  said  — "  W hat  is  that  to  usf  See  thou  to  that." — 
Math.  27:  4. 

CANON  FARRAR,  writing  of  the  intense  terrific 
experience  of  Judas,  says  this  — "  There  is  in  a  great 
crime  an  awfully  illuminating  power."  It  reveals  the 
downward  trend  of  the  soul.  It  shows  whither  its  ap- 
petites and  passions  are  driving  it  and  suggests  to  one  not 
set  in  evil  ways  the  necessity  of  resisting  them.  I  re- 
cently heard  one  tell  how  the  surprise  of  a  single  drunken 
revel  discovered  to  him  the  danger  of  indulgence  and  led 
him  to  form  the  purpose  he  had  faithfully  kept  never 
to  let  intoxicating  liquors  pass  his  lips  again.  In  the  light 
of  one  disgraceful  act  he  read  the  truth  that  in  abstinence 
only  is  there  safety. 

Sometimes  there  is  bitter  anguish  connected  with  the 
disclosures  made  by  a  single  crime.  It  is  a  painful  glare 
that  it  creates  under  which  the  soul  cries  out.  The  con- 
science is  roused  from  its  sleep  and  thick  and  fast  fly  its 
sharp,  piercing  arrows. 

See  yon  electric  light  above  the  street.  In  the  distance 
it  flashes  like  a  diamond.  As  you  pass  under  it,  how 
strong  is  the  light,  how  distinct  are  the  shadows  on  the 
pavement  beneath  your  feet!  How  it  waxes  and  wanes! 
how  it  sputters  and  flares  and  then  burns  with  a  steady, 
strong  white  light.  Such  a  glaring,  raging,  intense  light 
is  kindled  in  the  soul  by  the  commission  of  a  grave  of- 
fense. Such  a  light  is  conscience  when  startled  into  un- 
wonted activity  by  a  great  crime.     Judas  went  out  from 

44 


Complicity  with  Crime  45 

that  upper  room  where  Jesus  and  the  disciples  ate  the 
passover  and  "  it  was  night " —  night  without  and  night 
within.  But  when  the  wicked  transaction  was  made  and 
its  full  consequences  began  to  appear,  no  night  was  dark 
enough  to  hide  him  from  himself.  Harrowing  thoughts 
came  trooping  into  mind  and  in  his  extreme  agony  he 
hurried  back  to  the  partners  of  his  crime  to  get  some  relief 
if  possible  by  confession,  saying — "  I  have  sinned  in  that 
I  have  betrayed  innocent  blood." 

"  After  my  death,"  said  Queen  Mary  of  England, 
"  you  will  find  Calais  written  on  my  heart  " —  so  great 
was  her  grief  at  its  fall.  So  we  might  expect  to  find 
Betrayal  written  on  the  heart  of  Judas  —  written  so  in- 
delibly that  eternity  itself  cannot  wear  it  out. 

But  what  answer  gave  the  chief  priests  and  elders? 
Only  yesterday  they  were  glad  to  welcome  him  to  their 
council  and  covenant  with  him  for  aid  in  accomplishing 
their  wicked  designs.  Only  last  evening  they  accepted 
him  as  their  ally  and  profited  by  the  deceitful  kiss  with 
which  he  identified  his  Master.  Surely  he  might  now 
expect  some  slight  recognition  at  their  hands  —  if  not 
sympathy  with  him  in  his  sorrow,  at  least  some  pity  of 
him  in  his  misery.  But  no!  The  tools  of  wicked  men 
are  always  cast  off  when  they  have  served  their  purpose. 
Judas  in  his  present  mood  could  only  hinder  their  hell- 
ish scheme  and  therefore  they  dismiss  him  with  the 
pitiless  answer — "What  is  that  to  us?  See  thou  to 
that." 

Yet  were  they  not  abettors  of  his  crime?  Had  not 
they  a  share  in  the  guilt  of  the  betrayal?  If  Judas  was 
the  principal  actor,  were  they  not  accessories?  In  spite 
of  their  bluff  reply,  was  it  not  something  to  them  that 
Judas  betrayed  innocent  blood?  Words  cannot  alter 
facts  and  facts  concerning  their  relation  to  his  crime 
fastened  guilt  upon   them  as  well  as  upon  him. 

Let  us  notice  first  — 

I.  How  we  are  partakers  of  the  sins  of  others.     Our 


46  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

lives  touch  other  lives  and  every  point  of  contact  gives 
opportunity  of  influence  for  good  or  evil,  of  communi- 
cating healthful,  holy,  inspiring  impulses  or  of  kindling 
appetites,  passions  and  ambitions  that  drive  men  down 
to  the  pit.  So  sensitive  is  the  soul  to  impressions  from 
without  that  the  most  casual  touch  of  a  stranger's  life 
may  leave  its  mark  upon  it.  How  then  can  we  measure 
the  result  of  the  necessary  or  cordial  fellowship  of 
years,  especially  the  impressionable  years  of  youth  and 
early  manhood  or  womanhood? 

Our  participation  in  the  sins  of  others  may  be  either 
great  or  small,  active  or  passive,  open  or  concealed.  It 
may  range  from  leadership  in  evil  deeds  to  evil  influ- 
ence unconsciously  exerted.  It  may  be  a  positive,  pur- 
poseful impact  upon  another  soul,  or  only  a  silent  con- 
tribution to  the  unwholesome  atmosphere  in  which  he 
lives. 

He  who  plans  what  another  executes  is  by  way  of 
eminence  a  sharer  in  the  other's  crime.  However  hid 
from  view,  he  is  the  chief  partner  in  the  transaction 
and  if  brought  to  light  should  receive  the  greater  con- 
demnation. We  hear  men  say  — "  He  moulds  the  bul- 
lets and  others  shoot  them."  They  compliment  him  for 
his  smartness  and  in  heart  despise  him  for  his  meanness. 
Moulding  bullets  is  a  perfectly  safe  business,  but  shoot- 
ing them  exposes  one  to  danger.  Surely  if  execration 
be  even  lawful  it  ought  to  be  hurled  at  the  man  who 
with  brazen  face  and  craven  heart  plots  daring  mischief 
for  braver  and  less  wicked  men  to  accomplish.  Let  us 
withhold  our  indignation  from  the  miserable  agent  who 
bribes  another  and  bestow  it  on  the  principal  who  with 
greater  villany  prompts  the  wicked  act.  He  who 
throws  the  bomb  is  only  more  fearless,  not  more  fiendish 
than  he  who  conceives  and  promotes  the  hellish  plot 
against  the  lives  and  happiness  of  his  fellows.  One  far 
away  from  the  frightful  scene  of  havoc  may  furnish  the 
fertile  brain  and  energizing  will  that  brings  it  all  to 


Complicity  with  Crime  47 

pass.     And  is  not  he  the  arch-conspirator  that  deserves 
the  heaviest  penalty  of  all? 

He  who  solicits  another  to  do  evil  is  likewise  par- 
taker of  his  evil  deed.  The  tempter  is  more  blame- 
worthy than  the  tempted  who  actually  commits  the 
wrong.  He  says — "Come  with  us  —  Cast  in  thy  lot 
among  us,"  and  by  fair  words  and  happy  prospects  lures 
into  the  evil  path.  Many  an  innocent  one  is  thus  en- 
snared and  ruined  and  when  the  ruin  is  complete,  what 
says  he  who  laid  the  snare?  Will  he  help  him  with 
kind  words  now  and  try  to  rekindle  hope  of  better 
things  to  come?  Will  he  take  part  of  the  burden  of 
accusation  upon  himself  and  thus  relieve  the  distressed, 
over-burdened  spirit  of  him  whom  he  misled?  Or  will 
he  blame  him  for  his  weakness  and  remind  him  that 
"every  man  must  bear  his  own  burden"?  Will  he  as- 
sume an  air  of  innocence  and  mock  his  appeal  for  sym- 
pathy and  say — "What  is  that  to  me"?  True  enough 
it  is  the  duty  of  everyone  to  maintain  his  own  integrity 
by  resisting  the  enticements  of  sinners,  but  that  does 
not  in  the  least  lessen  the  guilt  of  the  enticer.  You 
read  in  the  Scripture  — "  Woe  unto  him  that  giveth  his 
neighbor  drink,"  and  you  point  to  the  liquor-seller  and 
say  — "  There  he  stands.  His  eyes  stand  out  with  fat- 
ness and  wealth  is  pouring  in  upon  him.  But  God's 
curse  is  on  him  —  on  his  estate,  his  family  and  his 
soul."  You  say  only  the  truth.  God's  providence  in 
multitudes  of  instances  sanctions  your  assertion  and 
eternity  we  fear  will  give  it  awful  confirmation.  But 
is  this  all  the  truth?  Is  the  curse  exhausted  on  the 
liquor-seller?  What  of  him  who  follows  the  social  cus- 
tom of  treating  and  says  to  his  friend  whom  he  meets  ■ — 
"  Come,  take  a  drink  with  me."  WThat  of  him  who 
sends  for  a  gallon  of  whiskey  and  in  some  dark  hole 
measures  it  out  to  his  friends?  Do  not  these  equally 
with  liquor-seller  come  under  the  fearful  weight  of  this 
course — "  Woe  unto  him  that  giveth  his  neighbor  drink, 


48  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

that  putteth  thy  bottle  to  him  and  makest  him  drunken." 
He  who  indicates  approval  of  another's  evil  deed  par- 
takes of  his  sin.  If  the  approval  is  in  word  only,  it  none 
the  less  encourages  and  supports  the  man  in  his  evil 
course.  This  approval  may  be  shown  by  community  of 
interest,  by  friendly  intercourse,  by  uninterrupted  com- 
panionship, during  the  time  of  its  commission.  It  may 
be  expressed  in  word  and  by  no  less  significant  act.  It 
may  be  done  considerately  or  idly,  with  bias  of  friend- 
ship or  partizanship.  But  whenever  there  is  approval  of 
wrong-doing  there  is  participation  in  the  wrong  and  cor- 
responding guilt. 

Companionship  is  a  most  delightful  social  fact  and 
yet  it  is  not  an  unmixed  blessing.  It  is  a  factor  in  evil 
as  well  as  in  good.  Men  do  in  companies  what  they 
would  not  do  as  individuals.  They  strengthen  each 
other  in  carrying  out  an  evil  purpose.  They  cast  tempta- 
tions in  each  other's  way  and  hinder  sometimes  the  as- 
sertion of  their  better  selves.  Would  that  we  all  might 
bring  this  social  element  of  our  natures  into  service  and 
make  it  add  not  only  to  our  joys  but  to  our  virtues  and 
victories  over  self  and  sin.  Would  it  not  be  a  high  and 
noble  ambition  to  be  able  to  say  when  we  separate  from 
familiar  haunts — "  I  leave  my  friends  better  than  I 
found  them  and  my  enemies,  if  I  have  any,  no  worse." 
Many  other  ways  might  be  mentioned  in  which  it  is 
possible  for  us  to  become  partakers  of  other  men's  sins. 
If  my  example  is  a  false  light  on  the  shore;  if  I  am  an 
apologist  for  wickedness;  if  I  by  haughtiness  or  harsh- 
ness provoke  another  to  do  evil;  if  I  altogether  keep 
silent  when  wickedness  abounds;  if  I  am  a  shield  to  the 
wrong-doer  have  I  not  a  share  in  his  ill-desert?  Nay 
more.  Are  we  not  responsible  for  the  whole  sum  of  our 
influence  over  our  fellows.  Unconsciously  we  elevate  or 
degrade  those  with  whom  we  associate.  We  are  either 
weights  or  wings.  There  is  an  aroma  of  real  character 
that  silently  steals  into  other  souls  to  refresh  and  bless 


Complicity  with  Crime  49 

them.  And  from  the  false  character  just  as  silently  and 
certainly  there  goes  forth  a  deadly,  blighting  influence  to 
all  who  come  in  contact  with  it.  How  solemn  is  the 
responsibility  that  is  thus  laid  upon  us  as  we  mingle 
with  others.  The  thought  of  it  should  prompt  the  daily 
prayer  of  everyone  of  us — "  Teach  me,  O  God,  to  live." 
Jesus  forewarned  his  disciples  of  the  risks  of  living  in 
this  strong  statement  — "  It  is  impossible  but  that  of- 
fenses will  come  but  woe  unto  that  man  through  whom 
they  come!  It  were  better  for  him  that  a  millstone  were 
hanged  about  his  neck,  and  he  be  cast  into  the  sea  than 
that  he  should  offend  one  of  these  little  ones." 

II.  How  vain  the  endeavor  to  rid  ourselves  of  the  fact 
of  complicity.  We  would  do  so  if  we  could.  We  even 
imagine  we  succeed  in  doing  so  and  roundly  assert  that 
we  are  free.  The  chief  priests  had  entered  into  con- 
spiracy with  Judas,  or  rather  they  had  admitted  him  to 
the  secret  of  a  conspiracy  they  had  already  formed. 
They  paid  him  a  price  to  do  the  very  act  that  so  weighed 
upon  his  conscience  afterward.  They  followed  his  act 
to  its  legitimate  conclusion  in  the  crucifixion  of  the  master 
he  betrayed.  And  yet  when  he  came  to  them  with 
troubled  spirit  they  said — "What  is  that  to  us?  See 
thou  to  that."  But  did  that  scornful  answer  make  the 
slightest  change  in  the  fact  of  their  complicity  with  his 
crime?  If  the  thirty  pieces  of  silver  were  a  bribe  re- 
ceived by  Judas,  they  were  at  the  same  time  a  bribe  given 
by  the  priests  and  bribe-giving  and  bribe-taking  are 
equally  heinous  offences  in  the  sight  of  God  and  good  men. 
If  he  was  a  traitor,  they  promoted  his  treason  beforehand 
and  at  the  time  took  possession  of  the  innocent  man 
whom  he  delivered  into  their  hand. 

How  easy  it  is  for  us  to  be  deceived  about  ourselves. 
It  is  one  of  the  amazing  inconsistencies  that  we  all  ob- 
serve that  we  cannot  see  in  ourselves  what  we  so  readily 
blame  in  others.  We  must  admit  the  fact  whether  we 
can  explain  it  or  not.     We  are  blinded  by  self-interest 


50  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

or  self-love  and  our  judgments  concerning  our  own  acts 
are  comparatively  worthless.  There  is  of  course  a  dif- 
ference in  persons.  Some  are  more  capable  of  candid 
unbiased  criticism  of  themselves  than  others.  Yet 
scarcely  any  can  look  with  a  perfectly  single  eye  on  his 
own  faults.  We  are  apt  to  invert  the  telescope  so  as  to 
minify  the  object  when  we  investigate  our  own  sinfulness. 
So  that  everyone  may  fitly  use  the  Psalmist's  words  — 
"Who  can  understand  his  errors?  cleanse  thou  me  from 
secret  faults."  Nor  are  those  who  are  swift  to  judge 
others  more  likely  to  be  impartial  judges  of  themselves. 
If  "  those  who  live  in  glass  houses  ought  not  to  throw 
stones "  it  does  not  follow  that  those  who  do  throw 
stones  do  not  live  in  glass  houses.  The  poet  says  — 
"  They  who  credit  crime  are  they  who  feel  their  own 
hearts  weak  to  unresisted  sin."  And  a  distinguished 
essayist  writes — "Those  who  see  much  to  find  fault 
with  in  others,  and  who  are  prone  to  magnify  and  dwell 
upon  the  shortcomings  of  their  neighbors,  are  those  who 
have  an  interest  in  depreciating  the  life  and  character 
around  them.  Men  do  not  work  for  nothing."  These 
declarations  may  be  too  sweeping  and  yet  they  may  at 
least  offset  the  false  impression  that  condemnation  of  the 
wrongs  of  others  is  any  evidence  whatever  of  the  perfect 
conduct  of  the  censor. 

Need  I  crave  your  pardon,  my  friends,  if  upon  this 
occasion  I  touch  upon  the  liquor  question  as  often  as 
the  line  of  thought  will  allow?  Even  a  digression  for 
the  purpose  might  be  overlooked  in  such  a  time  as  this. 
But  fortunately  enough  for  me,  the  subject  makes  digres- 
sion unnecessary.  The  liquor  traffic,  Judas-like,  is  guilty 
of  innocent  blood.  It  la3Ts  its  treacherous,  bloody  hand 
upon  the  young  men  of  our  land  and  slays  its  thou- 
sands annually.  Who  is  responsible  for  this?  Temper- 
ance people  have  spent  a  good  deal  of  time  in  the  past  in 
blaming  one  another.  They  have  been  saying  to  one  an- 
other— "  See  thou  to  that!  " 


Complicity  with  Crime  5 l 

With  the  storm  above  us  driving 

With  the  false  earth  mined  below 

Who  shall  marvel  if  thus  striving 

We  have  counted  friend  as  foe 

Unto  one  another  giving  blow  for  blow? 

To  all  this  we  have  at  least  a  truce  and  with  one 
mind  and  one  mouth  we  are  pleading  for  prohibition. 
However  we  may  have  differed,  we  are  now  agreed  that 
every  man  in  this  commonwealth  has  thrust  upon  him 
the  responsibility  of  saying  whether  this  carnival  of  blood 
shall  continue  or  not.  If  he  says  it  shall  or  fails  to  say 
by  his  vote  and  influence  that  it  shall  not,  how  can  he 
rid  himself  of  direct  complicity  with  the  accumulated 
crime  of  the  liquor  traffic.  The  line  is  squarely  drawn 
between  allies  and  supporters  on  the  one  side  and  op- 
posers  and  enemies  on  the  other  and  every  man  must 
choose  his  position  with  his  eyes  open.  If  we  say  to 
one  another — "See  thou" — let  it  be  not  to  shirk 
our  own  duty  but  to  spur  others  to  the  same  good  works 
we  endeavor  to  perform.  It  is  something  to  you  and 
me  that  our  boys  are  endangered  in  almost  every  town 
in  the  commonwealth.  It  is  something  to  you  and  me 
that  every  year  multitudes  are  swept  down  by  the  tor- 
rent of  wickedness  of  which  the  liquor  traffic  is  the  source. 
And  therefore  it  is  something  to  you  and  me  that  it  be 
outlawed  —  placed  under  the  ban  instead  of  as  now 
under  the  benediction  of  law."  "  What  is  that  to  us?  " 
—  do  you  say.  I  answer  — "  It  is  everything  we  prize. 
We  sum  it  up  and  say — " 'Tis  God  and  home  and 
native  land." 

III.  There  is  no  sin  or  suffering  in  this  world  of  which 
the  Christ-like  man  will  say  —  What  is  that  to  me? 
We  widen  our  thought  now  beyond  those  instances  in 
which  our  own  complicity  should  make  us  tender  toward 
the  sinner.  Our  sympathies  should  reach  out  to  every 
penitent  soul  —  to  every  sinning  man  or  woman  —  to 
every  stricken  community. 


52  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

For  a  long  time  we  have  been  learning  at  the  feet  of 
Jesus  what  is  the  worth  of  man.  We  have  been  break- 
ing the  fetters  from  both  body  and  mind  so  that  he 
may  work  out  his  own  destiny  unhindered.  We  assert 
the  right  of  every  man  to  a  free  and  fair  chance  in  the 
race  of  life.  "  Break  every  yoke  "  is  the  cry  —  every 
yoke  of  law,  custom  or  sentiment  and  let  the  imprisoned 
spirit  of  man  go  free.  Let  him  accept  the  opportunities 
freedom  gives  and  ask  no  more. 

But  is  there  not  a  companion  truth  that  ought  to  be 
considered?  Besides  the  doctrine  of  individualism  we 
must  place  the  doctrine  of  the  solidarity  of  the  race.  We 
are  members  one  of  another.  Liberty  must  walk  hand 
in  hand  with  fraternity.  I  am  my  brother's  keeper. 
There  is  another  lesson  yet  to  be  learned  at  the  feet 
of  Jesus.  He  did  not  so  much  emphasize  self-assertion 
as  self-surrender  —  not  so  much  rights  as  duties.  By 
teaching  and  example  he  set  forth  the  glory  of  service. 
"  Whosoever  will  be  great  among  you  let  him  be  your 
servant."  He  never  said  to  the  busy  population  of 
Capernaum  —  Let  the  strongest  survive  and  the  weak 
perish.  He  commended  the  Good  Samaritan,  because  he 
neither  despised  nor  neglected  but  cared  for  and  sup- 
ported the  weak.  Never  a  cry  came  to  his  ears  —  of 
weakness  or  woe  —  that  was  not  heeded.  The  bereaved 
Mother,  the  anxious  publican,  the  young  ruler,  the  fallen 
woman  of  Samaria,  the  thief  on  the  cross  —  all  were 
taken  into  his  pity  and  received  kind,  honest,  helpful 
treatment  at  his  hands.  Had  even  Judas  gone  to  Jesus 
with  his  bitter  wail  of  remorse  instead  of  to  the  ac- 
complices of  his  crime  how  different  might  have  been 
his  reception  and  humanly  speaking  his  fate!  Who  can 
doubt  that  the  word  of  Jesus  that  has  buoyed  many  a 
sinking  soul  in  all  the  centuries  since  it  was  uttered 
would  have  found  in  him  a  signal  illustration  — "  Him 
that  cometh  unto  me  I  will  in  no  wise  cast  out."  Did 
he  not  a  little  later  look  down  from  the  cross  on  his 


Complicity  with  Crime  53 

murderers  and  pray — "Father  forgive  them  for  they 
know  not  what  they  do." 

Who  among  us  can  look  with  indifference  on  the  fate 
of  Johnstown?  What  a  moment  of  awful  agony  it  must 
have  been  to  some,  when  the  angry  waters  swept  almost 
all  they  cared  for  on  earth  away  from  their  embrace 
forever!  What  maddening  suspense  must  have  wrung 
the  hearts  of  others  who  knew  that  friends  were  en- 
dangered and  feared  that  they  were  lost!  Could  any- 
one among  us  have  the  want  of  heart  to  say  —  What  is 
that  to  me? 

Something  more  than  a  year  ago  the  Synod  of  Pitts- 
burg met  at  Johnstown  and  two  of  us  spent  an  evening 
with  Rev.  Dr.  Beale,  an  old  college  friend,  then  pastor 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  On  Tuesday  I  saw  his 
name  among  the  dead  at  Leechburg.  But  though  not 
a  friend  was  lost  or  sorrow-stricken  did  not  the  hearts 
of  all  of  us  swell  with  emotions  of  astonishment  and 
grief  as  we  read  of  the  sudden,  overwhelming  destruc- 
tion of  our  human  brothers?  Did  we  not  all  respond  in 
heart  and  as  we  were  able  to  the  cry  of  the  impoverished, 
sorrow-laden  living?  The  unparalleled  calamity  was 
promptly  followed  by  a  liberality  that  knows  no  parallel 
outside  of  lands  leavened  by  Christian  influence.  The 
thousands  of  rich  men  and  the  small  gifts  of  the  poor 
came  pouring  in  from  far  and  near  to  help  these  strangers 
who  are  bound  to  us  by  no  other  tie  than  that  of  the 
race.  All  hail !  this  blessed  day  when  the  kinship  of  men 
is  honored,  when  one  member  suffers  and  all  the  other 
members  suffer  with  it.  The  spirit  of  the  song  of  the 
angels  is  abroad  in  the  earth  —  "  Glory  to  God  in  the 
highest,  peace  on  earth,  good  will  to  men." 

Young  gentlemen  and  ladies  of  the  graduating  class, 
take  note  of  these  signs  of  better  things.  Have  faith 
in  God.  Have  faith  in  the  workings  of  divine  grace 
in  human  souls.  Coleridge  paints  by  these  few  masterly 
strokes  the  poor  blind  pessimist  — "  The  owlet  Atheism 


54  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

sailing  on  obscene  wings  athwart  the  moon,  drops  his 
blue-fringed  lids  and  holds  them  closed,  And  hooting 
at  the  glorious  sun  in  heaven,  cries  out,  '  Where  is  it?  ' ; 
Let  the  atheist  be  a  pessimist  if  he  will  —  the  darkness 
is  his  native  haunt.  Let  him  shut  his  eyes  and  hoot, 
when  the  sun  dances  joyously  in  the  heavens  and  flings 
down  radiance  upon  the  earth.  But  let  us  who  have 
faith  in  the  Heavenly  Father's  government  of  the  world, 
keep  our  eyes  open  to  see  all  that  is  gladdening  and 
beneficent  in  its  history.  Cultivate  that  serenity  that 
comes  from  contemplation  of  the  throne  of  the  eternal. 
"  Whoso  trusteth  in  the  Lord,  happy  is  he." 

Recognize  the  brightness  there  is  in  the  world  and 
endeavor  to  make  it  brighter.  There  are  perils  and 
miseries  and  sin.  There  are  poverty  and  oppression  and 
greed  and  lust  and  violence.  There  are  "  ragged 
children,  with  hungry  eyes  "  for  whom  Mrs.  Browning 
pleads  — 

If  no  better  can  be  done, 
Let  us  do  but  this  endeavor 
That  the  sun  behind  the  sun 
Shine  upon  them  while  they  shiver. 

There  are  giant  iniquities  that  must  be  smitten  with 
the  fist  of  righteous  law.  In  many  places  yet  Satan  is 
unbound.  To  all  these  sad  serious  facts  you  must  be 
awake.  There  is  need  of  earnestness  and  patience  as 
well  as  serenity  and  hope. 

Mordecai  rallied  Queen  Esther  from  her  listlessness 
and  called  upon  her  to  plead  the  cause  of  her  doomed 
people  — "  Who  knoweth  whither  thou  art  come  to  the 
Kingdom  for  such  a  time  as  this."  And  the  queen  an- 
swered nobly  — "  I  will  go  in  unto  the  King  which  is  not 
according  to  law;  and  if  I  perish,  I  perish."  Equally 
admirable  are  Mordecai  and  Esther  —  the  burning  zeal 
of    the    man    and    the    self-sacrificing    devotion    of    the 


Complicity  with  Crime  55 

woman.  Let  us  commend  them  to  your  imitation  as  you 
enter  upon  life  with  the  purpose  of  serving  God,  and  your 
fellow  men. 

Who  knoweth  whether  you  are  coming  to  the  King- 
dom —  the  Kingdom  of  manhood  and  womanhood  — 
for  the  times  in  which  you  live.  Shirk  not  your  re- 
sponsibility nor  seek  to  impose  it  upon  others.  Say  not 
— "What  is  that  to  us?  See  thou  to  that."  Rather 
press  into  the  conflict  with — "  Here  am  I ;  send  me." 
Make  the  world  better  by  work  under  and  in  harmony 
with  Jesus  Christ  who  came  to  minister  to  others  and 
to  save  the  lost  and  count  it  reward  enough  if  at  the  last 
you  hear  him  say  — "  Come  ye  blessed  of  my  Father,  in- 
herit the  Kingdom  prepared  for  you  from  the  founda- 
tion of  the  world ;  for  I  was  an  hungered  and  ye  gave 
me  meat;  I  was  thirsty  and  ye  gave  me  drink;  I  was  a 
stranger  and  ye  took  me  in,  naked  and  ye  clothed  me;  I 
was  sick  and  ye  visited  me." 


SERMON  V,  1890 

SOBER-MINDEDNESS 
Young  men  likewise  exhort  to  be  sober-minded. —  Titus  2:  6. 

YOUTH  is  impetuous.  Young  men  are  ever  ready 
to  do  exploits.  They  are  charmed  by  the  romantic 
and  the  heroic.  The  element  of  risk  only  gives  zest  to 
any  enterprise.  They  respond  promptly  to  any  appeal 
that  calls  for  daring.  They  are  not  appalled  but  rather 
attracted  by  the  perils  of  missionary  life  in  the  heart  of 
Africa,  they  deprecate  most  of  all  what  is  called  a  hum- 
drum life  —  without  excitement,  without  apprehension, 
and  equally  without  expectation  —  a  calm  and  placid 
sea  unstirred  by  storm  and  scarce  by  gentle  breeze. 
Few  of  them  would  understand  Lord  Shaftsbury  who 
when  urged  to  accept  a  high  office,  replied,  "  One 
million  six  hundred  thousand  operatives  are  still  ex- 
cluded from  the  benefits  of  the  Factory  acts,  and  so 
long  as  they  are  unprotected,  I  cannot  take  office." 
Fewer  still  would  understand  Chinese  Gordon,  the  hero 
of  the  century,  when  he  wrote, — "  Is  it  my  fault  or  my 
failing  that  I  never  have  a  respectable  assistant  with  me 
to  bear  a  part  of  my  labors?  The  men  who  would  suit 
me  are  all  more  or  less  burdened  with  their  families, 
etc. ;  those  who  are  not  so  loaded,  are  for  money  or  great 
acts,  which  do  not  accord  with  my  views." 

Money  and  great  acts  are  apt  to  be  the  ambition  of  the 
great  majority.  The  ideas  of  serviceableness  to  man  and 
submission  to  God,  are  far  from  dominating  their  lives. 
They  respond  to  motives  of  glory  rather  than  of  duty, 
of  gain  rather  than  of  godliness,  of  pleasure  rather  than 
of  sacrifice. 

56 


Sober-Mindedness  57 


Titus  was  left  by  Paul  at  Crete  to  set  things  in  order. 
The  people  in  general  of  all  ages  and  sexes  seem  to  have 
been  blinded  by  sense  and  sloth.  Paul  quotes  one  of 
their  own  prophets  concerning  them, — "  The  Cretans  are 
always  liars,  evil  beasts,  slow  bellies,"  and  adds,  "  This 
witness  is  true."  Accordingly  he  gives  Titus  specific 
charges  concerning  the  various  classes  that  would  com- 
pose his  congregation.  As  the  chapter  has  been  read, 
you  have  noticed  how  similarly  they  are  to  be  addressed, 
how  substantially  the  same  virtues  are  to  be  pressed  upon 
them  all  — "  that  the  aged  men  be  sober,  grave,  temper- 
ate, sound  in  faith,  in  charity,  in  patience, —  the  aged 
women  likewise,  that  they  be  in  behavior  as  becometh 
holiness;  that  they  may  teach  the  young  women  to  be 
sober,  discreet,  chaste,  keepers-at-home,  good."  And 
then  follow  these  words  concerning  those  whose  employ- 
ments are  more  likely  to  nourish  the  illusions  of  early 
life,  "  The  younger  men  likewise  exhort  to  be  sober- 
minded." 

The  word  "  likewise,"  interpreted  by  the  preceding 
verses,  brings  the  younger  women  as  well  as  the  younger 
men  within  the  scope  of  this  exhortation  and  makes  it 
appropriate  enough  as  the  basis  of  a  closing  word  to 
young  people  of  both  sexes. 

What  is  it  to  be  sober-minded? 

Let  the  white  light  of  Scripture  illuminate  the  answer. 
Paul  writes  to  the  Thessalonians,  "  Let  us  not  sleep  as 
do  others,  but  let  us  watch  and  be  sober.  For  they  that 
sleep,  sleep  in  the  night,  and  they  that  be  drunken  are 
drunken  in  the  night,  but  let  us  who  are  of  the  day  be 
sober,  putting  on  the  breast-plate  of  faith  and  love;  and 
for  an  helmet  the  hope  of  salvation." 

To  be  sober-minded  is  to  live  as  the  children  of  the 
day,  to  have  our  eyes  open  and  our  minds  alert,  to  look 
the  difficulties  and  dangers  of  our  situation  squarely  in 
the  face,  to  be  well-gjrded  and  well-guarded  with  the 
Christian  graces  of  faith,  and  love  and  hope.     Viewed 


58  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

in  this  wide  sense  sobriety  takes  in  the  whole  discipline 
of  Christian  life.  It  particularly  includes  moderation 
to  which  Paul  exhorts,  "  Let  your  moderation  be  known 
unto  all  men.  The  Lord  is  at  hand."  Likewise  it  in- 
cludes temperance  or  self-control,  of  which  Peter  speaks, 
"  Add  to  your  faith  virtue,  and  to  virtue  knowledge,  and 
to  knowledge  temperance."  It  is  a  synonym  for  wisdom, 
that  large-minded,  long-sighted,  practical  wisdom  that 
resists  the  tyranny  of  the  present  and  considers  the  final 
outcome  of  one's  acts,  both  here  and  hereafter.  "  See 
that  ye  walk  circumspectly,  not  as  fools,  but  as  wise, 
redeeming  the  time."     "  In  understanding  be  men." 

Be  sober!  Need  I  utter  a  word  of  warning  against 
the  intoxicating  cup  ?  Who  does  not  know  the  deadly 
poison  it  contains?  Who  has  not  witnessed  the  havoc 
of  the  demons  set  loose  upon  society  by  strong  drink? 
See  the  drunkard's  awful  wreck  of  himself  —  of  all  the 
noble  gifts  with  which  his  Creator  has  endowed  him. 
His  power  of  thought,  of  speech,  even  of  locomotion,  are 
overcome.  He  essays  to  go,  and  his  feet  refuse  to  do 
his  bidding.  He  speaks,  and  his  maudlin  talk  bewrays 
his  besotted  condition.  His  reason  is  dethroned  and  wild 
imaginations  course  through  his  mind  unbridled.  He 
casts  away  his  opportunity  of  employment  in  any  im- 
portant task.  He  fills  with  the  flush  of  shame  the  face 
of  those  who  love  him.  "  Who  hath  woe  ?  Who  hath 
sorrow?  Who  hath  contentions?  Who  hath  redness  of 
eyes?  They  that  tarry  long  at  the  wine;  they  that  go 
to  seek  mixed  wine."  My  young  friends,  if  you  would 
escape  these  evils,  you  ■  must  not  tamper  with  the  cup 
that  contains  them.  The  "  original  package "  cannot 
hurt  the  man  whose  unalterable  purpose  is  to  neither 
touch,  taste,  nor  handle  it. 

Pass  on  now  from  the  region  of  the  physical,  or 
psycho-physical,  to  that  of  the  mind  alone.  Is  there  any- 
thing here  corresponding  to  the  intoxicant  effects  of 
which  we  have  just  spoken?     Is  it  possible  for  one  to 


Sober-Mindedness  59 


be  sober  in  the  ordinary  sense,  the  eye  clear,  the  step 
steady,  the  intellect  bright,  and  yet  not  be  sober-minded? 
Are  the  rightful  rulers  in  the  kingdom  of  the  soul  ever 
overthrown?  Does  prejudice  ever  warp  the  judgment, 
or  interest  ever  silence  the  conscience?  Is  the  soul  ever 
frenzied  with  grief,  or  wild  with  passion,  or  drunk  with 
excitement?  Is  there  reason  enough  why  we  should  all 
be  urged  to  soberness  of  mind? 

Let  us  select  a  few  out  of  many  suggestions  contained  in 
this  comprehensive  exhortation. 

I.  We  commend  to  you  sober-mindedness  as  one 
against  the  sway  of  mere  feeling. 

There  is  no  doubt  a  place  for  feeling  and  for  the 
experience  of  it.  It  is  a  false  notion  that  emotion  is  to 
be  constantly  suppressed  or  hidden  from  view.  Stolid- 
ity is  very  far  from  being  strength.  The  strong  man 
is  the  earnest  man,  whose  very  soul  is  on  fire  with  devo- 
tion to  a  great  cause. 

"  He  most  lives  who  thinks  most,  feels  the  noblest, 
acts  the  best."  That  man  is  to  be  pitied  who  cannot 
feel,  the  fountain  of  whose  emotions  is  sealed.  He  looks 
upon  the  beauties  of  nature  and  art  without  any  glow 
of  admiration  within  him.  He  walks  through  the  fields 
of  literature  and  is  never  regaled  by  the  fragrance  of 
its  flowers.  He  hears  burning  words  from  the  advocate 
of  a  great  cause,  and  marks  his  stupidity  at  the  close  by 
a  flippant  remark  at  its  expense.  We  pity  him,  though 
he  perhaps  will  wrap  the  icy  mantle  of  his  independence 
about  him,  and  fancy  himself  superior  to  the  common 
mass  whose  souls  respond  to  truth  and  right.  For  his 
superciliousness  he  needs  our  pity  all  the  more,  notwith- 
standing he  deserves  our  blame. 

Sometimes  there  is  a  vicious  sentiment  abroad  con- 
cerning this.  There  is  a  sort  of  "  nil  admirari  "  school, 
whose  members  wish  it  to  be  known  that  they  wonder 
at  nothing,  that  they  are  interested  in  nothing.  They 
especially  try  to  repress  every  outward  manifestation  of 


60  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

the  emotions  they  feel.  They  incase  themselves  in  a 
shell  of  propriety,  or  may  be,  of  pugnacity.  Would  that 
we  could  dislodge  such  a  false  sentiment  whereon  it  has 
fastened  itself.  It  will  cut  a  deep  scar  in  the  character 
of  every  man  or  woman  who  cherishes  it.  Says  Ruskin: 
"  The  ennobling  difference  between  one  man  and  another 
is  precisely  in  this,  that  one  feels  more  than  another." 
Right  emotions  are  the  springs  of  right  action  and  right 
character,  and  ought,  therefore,  to  be  cultivated  and 
shown  without  restraint.  Let  us  not,  however,  suffer 
them  to  assume  the  place  of  government.  While  al- 
lowing the  free  action  of  the  feelings,  they  must  not 
usurp  the  throne  of  the  soul,  which  is  rightly  occupied 
by  reason  and  conscience.  Yet,  alas!  too  often  in  the 
history  of  all  of  us  this  true  order  of  things  is  reversed. 
The  feelings  master  us  instead  of  being  mastered. 
Scarcely  a  day  passes  in  which  the  close  observer  of  him- 
self will  not  see  this  illustrated.  We  say  we  acted  on  the 
impulse  of  the  moment.  We  mean  that  the  feeling  of 
tenderness  or  anger,  of  admiration  or  disgust,  prompted 
us  to  do  what  our  judgment  disapproves. 

Sometimes  these  feelings  get  a  dominant  and  abiding 
sway.  Anger  ripens  into  hate ;  love  into  idolatry ;  tender- 
ness into  sickly  sentimentality.  It  is  no  sudden  burst 
of  feeling,  but  a  steady  flow  in  a  single  direction,  appear- 
ing as  often  as  circumstances  give  occasion  for  its 
entrance. 

See  it  where  one  is  ruled  by  a  malignant  passion.  I 
hate  another.  A  single  event  excited  my  enmity,  and 
henceforth  all  that  he  does  is  seen  not  merely  in  the 
light  of  the  event,  but  of  the  ill-feeling  it  created.  He 
does  a  worthy  act,  and  I  attribute  to  him  an  unworthy 
motive ;  he  achieves  distinction,  and  I  give  the  credit  of  it 
to  circumstances;  he  makes  a  misstep,  and  I  denounce 
him  without  mercy.  "  Which  of  these  was  neighbor 
unto  him  that  fell  among  the  thieves? "  asked  Jesus 
of  the  scribe.     He  would  have  choked  in  the  attempt 


Sober-M.inded.ness  6 1 


to  say,  "  the  Samaritan."  And,  therefore,  answered  by 
phrase,  "  He  that  had  mercy  on  him."  Why  do  I  mis- 
judge my  brother  man?  Because  there  is  a  feeling  in  me 
that  overrules  my  reason  and  makes  me  less  than  just. 
Let  him  that  is  without  sin  among  you  cast  the  first 
stone  at  me. 

The  same  injurious  supremacy  of  mere  feeling  may  be 
seen  in  an  opposite  class.  Not  to  speak  of  partialities 
of  family,  friendship,  community  or  party,  we  notice  what 
we  may  call  indiscriminate  tenderness.  It  seems  to  lean 
to  virtue's  side,  and  yet  it  is  too  boneless  a  thing  to  de- 
serve the  name  of  virtue;  it  grieves  equally  over  the  death 
of  a  pet  canary  and  a  darling  child ;  it  sheds  tears  at  all 
graves,  and  sends  bouquets  to  all  criminals;  mercy  is  its 
only  plea,  and  justice,  law  and  the  general  good  are 
utterly  ignored.  Feeling  has  absolute  sway  and  every 
dictate  of  right  reason  is  swiftly  set  aside. 

There  is  indeed  no  danger  from  a  passion  as  long  as 
it  is  kept  subject  to  the  proper  ruling  power  of  the  mind. 
Only  when  it  runs  wild  does  it  bring  damage  and  dis- 
aster. Let  it  be  harnessed  to  a  worthy  object,  and  under 
the  guidance  of  an  intelligent  understanding  let  it  speed 
on.  The  goal  of  achievement  will  be  sooner  won.  "  It 
is  good  to  be  zealously  affected  always  in  a  good  thing." 

When  reason,  like  a  skillful  charioteer, 
Can  break  the  fiery  passions  to  the  bit, 
And  spite  of  the  licentious  allies,  keep 
The  radiant  tract  of  glory,  passions  then 
Are  aids  and  ornaments. 

II.  We  commend  to  you  sober-mindedness  as  over 
against  self-will.  Paul  writes  to  the  Romans  (12:3), 
"  I  say  through  the  grace  given  unto  me,  to  every  man 
that  is  among  you,  not  to  think  of  himself  more  highly 
than  he  ought  to  think;  but  to  think  soberly,  according 
as  God  hath  dealt  to  every  man  the  measure  of  faith." 
Among  the  qualifications  for  a  bishop  which  he  gave  to 


62  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

Titus  (1:7),  in  this  epistle  is,  "not  self-willed."  And 
Peter  writes  of  certain  ones  of  his  time  —  anarchists  of 
the  first  century  — "  Presumptuous  are  they,  self-willed." 
Putting  these  passages  together  we  learn  that  one  of  the 
evils  resulting  from  not  thinking  soberly  of  ourselves  is 
self-will,  undue  self-assertion. 

He  is  indeed  a  pitiable  object  who  lacks  will  —  a  mere 
reflection  of  another,  a  puppet  or  plaything  in  the  hands 
of  his  friends.  Will  means  force  —  strength  to  resist  or 
to  assail.  Condemnation  of  self-will  is  quite  in  keeping 
with  commendation  of  sturdy  self-poise,  of  high  moral 
purpose,  often  it  is  the  highest  exercise  of  righteous-will 
to  overcome  self-will.  It  is  fighting  the  good  fight  of 
wisdom.  Here  is  a  great  battle-ground  with  nearly  all 
of  us.  We  naturally  like  to  have  our  own  way,  but 
sometimes  we  get  ashamed  of  our  selfishness  and  deter- 
mine to  conquer  our  own  spirits;  sometimes  it  dawns 
upon  us  that  others  have  rights  as  well  as  we;  some- 
times we  recognize  the  fact  that  the  general  interests 
demand  permanent  consideration.  So  we  set  ourselves 
with  firm  purpose  to  discipline  ourselves  unto  obedience 
to  the  behest  of  duty.  Self-will  has  supreme  regard  to 
self;  strength  of  will  has  regard  to  an  £nd  in  view.  Had 
Speaker  Reed's  persistency  been  concerning  a  matter 
purely  personal,  he  could  not  have  so  won  the  approval 
of  others.  But  the  end  in  view,  the  correction  of  what 
was  believed  to  be  a  great  abuse,  made  him  in  the  eyes 
of  his  friends  the  hero  of  the  hour. 

When  self-will  displays  itself  in  the  common  inter- 
course of  life,  it  may  be  nothing  more  serious  than  dis- 
agreeableness.  But  when  one  occupies  a  representative 
position,  it  is  fraught  with  danger  to  whatever  large  in- 
terests are  involved.  In  the  crises  of  our  nation's  history 
they  are  to  be  admired  most  who  surrendered  cherished 
notions  for  the  common  good,  sinking  personal  prejudices, 
opinions,  wishes,  for  the  sake  of  the  great  end  to  be 
reached. 


Sober-Mindedness  63 


What  a  debt  we  owe  to  the  men  who  composed  the 
Federal  Convention  which  framed  our  National  Consti- 
tution. The  Articles  of  Confederation  had  proved  to  be 
a  snare.  From  all  the  States  came  men  with  their  own 
views  and  State  prejudices  to  frame  a  plan  to  remedy 
the  acknowledged  evils.  There  was  long  and  earnest  dis- 
cussion, and  little  seemed  to  be  accomplished,  until  even 
the  courageous  heart  of  Washington  seemed  ready  to 
despair  of  any  good  results.  There  were  great  men  in 
that  convention ;  men  such  as  Madison  and  Randolph, 
Hamilton  and  Franklin.  They  had  opinions  and  dared 
to  maintain  them,  but  they  were  patient  as  well  as  candid, 
respecting  their  compatriots  as  well  as  themselves.  They 
were  awed  by  a  sense  of  a  great  responsibility,  and  they 
held  together  till  the  demand  of  the  hour  was  met  by  an 
agreement.  Hamilton's  words  expressed  the  sober- 
minded  spirit  of  many  as  he  looked  upon  their  completed 
work  — "  No  man's  ideas  are  more  remote  from  the  plan 
than  my  own  are  known  to  be;  but  it  is  possible  to  de- 
liberate between  anarchy  and  convulsion  on  one  side,  and 
the  chance  of  good  to  be  expected  from  the  plan  on  the 
other." 

William  H.  Seward,  before  the  nomination  of  Lincoln, 
was  the  best  known  advocate  of  freedom  in  the  land. 
Yet,  in  the  early  months  of  1861,  when  secession  was 
threatening,  he  stood  in  the  Senate  pleading  solely  for 
the  Union,  until  his  former  friends  began  to  criticize  him 
for  his  timidity.  In  reply  to  a  letter  from  his  friend, 
Dr.  Joseph  P.  Thompson,  he  gives  the  reasons  for  his 
course  in  a  private  letter,  which  was  not  published  till 
eleven  years  had  passed,  and  Mr.  Seward  had  gone  to  his 
reward.  He  wrote:  "Twelve  years  ago  freedom  was 
in  danger  and  Union  was  not.  I  spake  then  so  singly 
for  freedom  that  short-sighted  men  inferred  that  I  was 
disloyal  to  the  Union.  I  endured  this  reproach  without 
complaining,  and  now  I  have  my  vindication.  Today, 
practically  freedom  is  not  in  danger  and  Union  is.     Now, 


64  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

therefore,  I  speak  singly  for  Union,  striving  if  possible  to 
save  it  peaceably;  if  not  possible,  then  to  cast  the  re- 
sponsibility upon  the  party  of  slavery.  For  this  single- 
ness of  speech  I  am  now  suspected  of  infidelity  to  freedom. 
—  Do  not  publish  or  show  this  letter.  Leave  me  to  be 
misunderstood.  I  am  not  impatient."  Whatever  opin- 
ion we  may  entertain  concerning  his  course  in  those 
stormy  days,  must  we  not  admire  the  faith,  courage  and 
self-forgetfulness  that  asked  no  vindication  till  the  coming 
ages,  that  patiently  accepted  misunderstanding  rather 
than  jeopardize  his  country's  weal? 

It  is  not  long  since  the  commanding  figure  of  Samuel 
J.  Randall  passed  into  the  unseen  world.  No  man  who 
knew  him  will  question  his  resolute  will.  But  never  was 
it  more  nobly  employed  than  in  the  days  of  the  Hayes- 
Tilden  conflict.  His  own  wishes,  hopes,  interests,  con- 
victions, were  all  in  favor  of  Mr.  Tilden.  His  party 
friends  were  clamorous  for  the  rights  of  their  favorite, 
but  the  cool  head  and  iron  will  of  one  man  carried  the 
day  for  peace.  Were  these  three  men  —  Hamilton, 
Seward,  Randall  —  ever  more  courageous  than  when  each 
in  his  day  subordinated  self  to  the  welfare  of  this  land? 
Let  us  in  our  smaller  spheres  emulate  their  example. 
Let  us  set  at  least  three  limits  to  our  self-assertion  — 
the  rights  of  others,  the  larger  interests  affected  by  our 
action,  and  the  will  of  God. 

III.  We  commend  to  you  sober-mindedness  as  over 
against  unbelief.  We  take  now  a  longer  view.  We  re- 
member that  there  is  a  limit  to  this  present  life,  and  that 
eternity  lies  beyond.  That  other  world  that  is  eternal 
unbelief  ignores,  and  is  therefore  mad. 

There  is  a  God.  It  is  the  fool  who  says  in  his  heart, 
"  There  is  no  God."  All  God's  works  declare  him,  and 
only  the  lips  of  man  have  ever  contradicted  their  testi- 
mony. Stanley  comes  out  from  the  jungles  of  Africa  to 
testify  that  the  living  God  is  a  reality  today,  and  hears 
prayer.     He  says  — "  I  vowed  a  vow  in  the  forest  soli- 


Sober-Mindedness  65 


tudes  that  I  would  confess  his  aid  before  men."  And 
the  letter  from  which  we  quote  is  a  partial  fulfillment  of 
the  vow.  And  thousands  more,  not  less  trustworthy, 
though  less  compensated,  confirm  his  testimony. 

There  is  a  Redeemer  —  the  hope  of  Israel,  the  hope 
of  mankind.  Eighteen  hundred  years  ago  a  noted  pris- 
oner stood  before  his  prince  to  make  his  defense.  There 
was  a  great  company  of  military  and  civil  officers  and 
chief  men  of  the  city  gathered  to  hear  him.  Undismayed 
—  nay,  rather  stimulated  by  the  splendid  opportunity  to 
utter  the  truth  before  kings,  he  gave  with  all  the  earnest- 
ness of  conviction  and  loving  purpose  the  reason  for  his 
hope.  Boldly  he  announced  the  line  of  his  defense  —  as 
"  For  the  hope  of  the  promise  made  of  God  unto  our 
fathers  ...  I  am  accused  of  the  Jews."  He  told  of 
his  former  unbelief  and  enmity  to  the  Lord  Jesus,  and 
how  his  mad  career  had  been  arrested  by  the  vision  of 
the  Lord  at  midday,  as  he  went  to  Damascus.  He  told 
of  the  command  laid  upon  him  to  witness  concerning  these 
things  to  the  Gentiles,  to  turn  them  from  darkness  to 
light,  and  from  the  power  of  Satan  unto  God.  "  Where- 
upon," he  declares,  "  I  was  not  disobedient  unto  the 
heavenly  vision  " ;  and  "  I  continue  unto  this  day  wit- 
nessing .  .  .  that  Christ  should  suffer,  and  that  he  should 
rise  from  the  dead,  and  should  shew  light  unto  the  people, 
and  to  the  Gentiles."  And  as  he  waxed  warm  in  his 
proclamation  of  the  gospel,  Festus  said  with  a  loud  voice, 
"  Paul,  thou  art  beside  thyself ;  much  learning  doth  make 
thee  mad."  But  Paul  answered  with  equal  spirit  and 
courtesy,  "  I  am  not  mad,  most  noble  Festus;  but  speak 
forth  the  words  of  truth  and  soberness." 

Which  now  of  these  two  was  mad  —  Festus  or  Paul  ? 
Which  of  these  is  sober-minded  —  the  man  of  the  world 
or  the  man  of  faith?  Each  as  he  looks  from  his  own 
standpoint  charges  the  other  with  folly.  The  worldling 
stands  with  his  back  on  the  future;  the  Christian  has  be- 
fore  his   face   both    time   and   eternity.     The   worldling 


66  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

stands  in  the  plain ;  the  Christian  stands  on  the  mountain 
top  and  looks  out  over  the  pleasant  plain  and  over  the 
mountains  to  the  interminable  stretches  of  his  inheritance 
that  lie  beyond. 

Some  of  you,  maybe,  believe  with  Paul  and  act  with 
Festus.  Is  your  folly  less  by  reason  of  the  difference 
between  you  and  the  heathen  ruler?  Nay,  rather  it  is 
increased.  If  Jesus  Christ  is  the  hope  of  mankind  as  you 
confess  —  the  only  hope  of  your  own  soul,  I  beseech  you 
do  not  neglect  him.  I  would  that  every  one  of  you  were 
not  only  almost  but  altogether  Christians.  "  Be  wise 
today,  'tis  madness  to  defer." 

Young  gentlemen  and  ladies  of  the  graduating  class 
of  1890,  you  are  now  looking  out  upon  life  as  you  never 
did  before.  The  great  world  with  its  manifold  activities 
seems  just  at  hand.  I  have  tried  to  present  to  you  an 
idea  of  life  as  something  serious.  It  is  no  holiday  ad- 
venture, but  earnest  work,  with  some  things  to  be  borne. 
There  is  a  grave  responsibility  of  life.  And  yet  it  is  a 
pleasant  world  we  live  in.  You  need  not  sit  down  under 
a  juniper-tree  and  wish  to  die.  We  bid  you  be  of  good 
cheer  and  give  good  cheer.  Take  courage  and  give 
courage.  First  of  all,  be  a  child  of  God  by  faith  in  the 
Lord  Jesus.  Then  fear  not  the  future,  for  it  is  in  your 
Father's  hand.  If  there  are  clouds,  the  light  will  shine 
through  them.  If  there  are  trials,  they  do  not  abide. 
Time  and  the  hour  run  through  the  roughest  day. 
Especially  you  can  brighten  your  own  life  by  brighten- 
ing life  for  some  others.  Help  him  over  hard  places, 
cheer  him  on  the  way.  Coleridge  relates  an  incident  of 
Sir  Alex.  Ball  and  a  very  young  midshipman.  The  latter 
in  his  first  battle  was  trembling  with  fear,  well-nigh 
panic-stricken,  when  Lieut.  Ball  took  him  by  the 
hand  and  whispered,  "Courage,  my  boy!  Don't  be 
afraid  of  yourself,  you  will  recover  in  a  minute  or  so." 
It  was  but  a  word  —  a  timely  word,  but  it  saved  him 
from  dishonor,  and  was  remembered  ever  afterward  with 


Sober-M.indedn.ess  67 


gratitude.  May  each  of  you  in  your  first  battles  find 
some  reinforcing  friend,  and  in  turn  may  you  reinforce 
others.  If  we  would  do  the  utmost  for  God  and  human- 
ity, we  must  join  hands  for  mutual  support.  We  must 
not  waste  force  by  standing  in  each  other's  way.  Rise 
to  the  height  of  magnanimity  that  your  religion  and  your 
life-work  require.  As  sober-minded  men  and  women, 
do  earnestly  and  hopefully  what  your  hands  find  to  do, 
while  you  listen  for  the  bugle-call  of  progress  —  the 
marching  orders  of  the  providence  of  God. 

"  The  Lord  hath  made  bare  his  holy  arm  in  the  eyes 
of  all  nations;  and  all  the  ends  of  the  earth  shall  see  the 
salvation  of  our  God." 

There  is  a  fount  about  to  stream, 

There  is  a  light  about  to  beam, 

There  is  a  morning  twilight  broadening  unto  day, 

Men  of  thought  and  men  of  action  lead  the  way. 

Go  forth  with  your  face  toward  the  better  time  coming, 
and  do  what  you  can  to  hasten  it,  and  may  the  blessing 
of  God  go  with  you. 


SERMON  VI,  1891 

OBEDIENCE 
Obedient  unto  death. —  Phil.  2:8. 

WE  hear  much  in  the  present  concerning  the  reign 
of  law.  Modern  science  makes  us  familiar  with 
the  idea  of  law  in  the  material  universe.  So  wide  and 
comprehensive  are  its  generalizations  that  it  affirms  the 
existence  of  a  law  that  embraces  within  its  scope  all 
gradations  of  matter,  life  and  mind,  from  star-dust  to 
man,  from  the  deep  sea  ooze  to  the  gigantic  mind  of  a 
Plato  or  a  Webster. 

But  what  is  law?  Is  it  an  independent  entity?  Is 
it  self-existent,  self -sustained,  self-determined?  Is  it 
blindly  dominant,  without  origin,  without  purpose?  Is 
there  not  a  law-giver  behind  the  law?  Paley  is  right 
when  he  says  —  Law  presupposes  an  Agent. 

But  if  law  implies  an  agent  in  one  view  it  also  implies 
a  subject  in  another.  If  a  law-giver  is  a  correlative  of 
law  in  one  direction,  obedience  is  its  correlative  in  an- 
other. Obedience  is  neither  more  or  less  than  conform- 
ity to  law.  You  bring  together  oxygen  and  hydrogen 
and  in  accordance  with  the  law  of  chemical  combination 
in  fixed  proportions,  the  obedient  elements  unite  to  form 
water.  You  strike  an  ivory  ball  against  another  and  in 
obedient  rebound  it  flies  in  the  precise  direction  required 
by  the  law  of  incidence.  The  mysterious  law  of  gravita- 
tion holds  its  silent  sway  over  the  obedient  stars  and 
suns  and  systems.  Men  stand  in  admiring  awe  before 
the  majesty  of  law  as  with  unvarying  uniformity  it  rami- 
fies and  reigns  over  the  entire  universe. 

How  strange  it  is  that  they  so  admire  the  obedient 
68 


Obedience  69 

earth  and  the  obedient  sky  and  care  so  little  for  the 
obedient  soul.  Would  that  we  could  make  it  clear  to 
you  that  the  rational  obedience  of  an  immortal  man  is 
not  less  but  more  admirable  than  the  unbroken  allegiance 
of  the  spheres  —  that  the  moral  law  ought  to  reign 
supreme  over  every  moral  agent  in  every  moral  act  and 
only  so  far  as  he  is  in  heart  and  life  conformed  to  it  is 
the  highest  end  of  his  being  attained. 

How  can  we  be  brought  to  realize  this  truth  to  which 
we  will  readily  assent?  Precepts  fail  to  give  us  vivid 
conception  of  the  excellence  of  duty  or  to  attract  us  to  it. 
Let  us  rather  look  upon  a  man  embodying  the  divine 
ideal,  illustrating  the  beauty  of  goodness  by  a  blameless 
life,  magnifying  the  law  and  making  it  honorable. 
Where  shall  such  an  attractive  example  be  found? 
There  has  been  but  one  faultless  man  in  all  the  ages. 
In  the  judgment  of  friends  and  foes  alike  his  place  among 
men  is  unique.  He  stands  on  a  moral  level  higher  than 
Socrates  or  Seneca,  Buddha  or  Mahomet,  Luther,  or 
Washington.  While  denying  the  supernatural,  the  ra- 
tionalistic critics  of  Christianity  are  constrained  to  repeat 
the  declarations  of  Pilate  concerning  the  character  of 
Jesus — "I  find  no  fault  in  this  man."  Reman  says  — 
"  He  is  the  uncomparable  man,  to  whom  the  universal 
conscience  has  decreed  the  title  of  the  Son  of  God,  and 
this  too  with  justice." 

He  was  indeed  more  than  a  perfect  man  as  Reman 
with  apparent  unconsciousness  declares,  but  his  example 
of  obedience  is  glorified  by  the  fact  that  he  is  also  the 
Son  of  God.  See  him  subordinating,  suppressing,  veiling 
his  Deity  —  becoming  a  real  man,  subject  to  law.  He 
"  counted  it  not  a  prize  to  be  on  an  equality  with  God 
but  emptied  himself,  taking  form  of  a  servant." 

All  this  was  preparatory  to  the  obedience  which  he 
rendered.  Clothed  now  with  all  the  attributes  of  human- 
ity he  lived  his  life,  did  his  work,  died  his  death.  And 
what  was  the  essential  quality,  the  distinguishing  glory 


70  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

of  it  all.  It  may  be  expressed  in  a  single  word  — 
Obedience.  "  He  became  obedient  unto  death,  even  the 
death  of  the  cross." 

I.  His  complete  obedience  to  God.  His  soul  responds 
at  once  to  every  intimation  of  the  divine  will.  It  is 
sensitive  as  the  needle  that  trembles  with  unerring,  un- 
hampered impulse  to  the  pole,  steady  as  the  full  of  the 
moon  that  lifts  the  rising  tide  at  its  established  time.  His 
guiding  star  was  the  will  of  Him  that  sent  him.  Sub- 
jection to  every  ordinance  of  man  for  the  Lord's  sake, 
the  fulfilment  of  all  righteousness  in  the  observance  of 
divine  requirements,  the  execution  of  his  appointed  mis- 
sion —  these  constitute  the  purpose  of  his  life  which  was 
ever  present  and  pressing  on  to  realization.  At  the 
Washington  Centenary  in  New  York,  President  Har- 
rison said  of  Washington  in  happy  phrase  — "  He  was  the 
incarnation  of  duty."  With  a  vastly  larger  significance 
the  words  might  be  applied  to  Jesus,  who  though  he  were 
a  Son  yet  learned  he  obedience  by  the  things  which  he 
suffered. 

If  we  look  at  him  on  the  planes  of  home  and  citizen- 
ship, what  an  example  of  filial  and  civil  obedience  he 
furnishes  us.  That  single  incident  of  his  childhood  in 
which  he  appears  talking  with  the  doctors  at  Jerusalem 
and  coming  into  clear  consciousness  of  his  divine  mission, 
only  forms  a  background  to  bring  out  in  bolder  relief 
his  subsequent  subjection  to  his  parents.  He  left  the 
city  with  its  enlarging  views  and  congenial  fellowship 
to  return  to  the  despised  village  of  Nazareth  to  work  in 
the  carpenter  shop  of  his  father  and  do  his  daily  bidding. 
He  recognized  the  divine  arrangement  by  which  parents 
are  made  the  governors  of  their  children  and  by  his 
example  sanctioned  beforehand  the  words  of  Paul  — 
"  Children  obey  your  parents  in  the  Lord ;  for  this  is 
right." 

His   relation   to   civil   authority   is   of   like   character. 


Obedience  71 

He  was  no  anarchist  attacking  the  foundations  of  social 
order.  He  was  no  revolutionist  except  as  his  radical  ideas 
were  revolutionary  in  individual  souls  and  as  the  cen- 
turies pass,  in  the  world.  He  would  not  consent  to  be  a 
King.  He  was  crucified  because  he  would  not  play  the 
worldly  part  which  the  Jews  expected  of  him.  He 
wrought  a  miracle  in  order  to  pay  the  tribute  to  the 
Roman  government.  He  was  "  subject  not  only  for 
wrath,  but  for  conscience  sake  " —  not  from  fear  of  the 
penalty  of  the  law  but  from  filial  fear  of  God.  "  Is  it 
lawful  to  pay  tribute  unto  Caesar  or  not?" — asked  his 
enemies.  They  thought  to  entrap  and  entangle  him,  but 
he  astonished  and  silenced  the  hypocrites  by  his  candor. 
His  loyal  soul  gave  prompt  response  and  the  questioners 
marvelled  and  went  their  way.  But  that  admirable  an- 
swer, setting  forth  the  duty  and  the  limits  of  subjection 
to  the  powers  that  be,  putting  God  both  behind  human 
authority  and  above  it  has  been  echoing  down  the  ages 
ever  since  and  was  never  more  clearly  heard  than  now 
— "  Render  unto  Caesar  the  things  that  are  Caesar's  and 
unto  God  the  things  that  are  God's." 

But  let  us  now  consider  his  direct  relation  to  God. 
Let  us  enter  into  the  inner  sanctuary  and  see  how  he 
thinks  and  feels  concerning  God.  What  does  he  think 
of  his  revealed  will  in  the  Old  Testament?  Does  he  as- 
sume the  role  of  a  "  higher  critic "  and  minimize  its 
worth?  Or  does  he  show  the  deepest  solicitude  about  its 
fulfillment  to  the  last  jot  or  tittle?  Is  he  jealous  of  any 
invasion  of  his  prerogative?  Or  does  he  make  haste  to 
take  the  place  of  a  servant?  Does  he  with  wanton  in- 
dependence break  through  the  hedge  of  divine  commands 
and  purposes?  Or  does  he  bring  every  thought  into  sub- 
jection to  the  will  of  the  Father?  Everyone  of  you, 
familiar  with  the  life  of  Christ  as  contained  in  the  Gos- 
pels knows  what  is  the  only  answer  that  can  be  made 
to  these  questions.     And  yet  it  may  be  that  you  have  not 


72  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

fully  realized  the  fact  that  obedience  to  the  Father  was 
the  very  key-note  of  that  brief  life  that  has  so  changed 
the  face  of  the  world. 

What  does  he  say  of  himself  ?  Let  us  listen  to  his  own 
testimony.  As  about  some  simple,  familiar  air  the  musi- 
cal genius  gathers  endless  variations,  while  the  central 
melody  gives  direction  to  the  intricate  whole  and  ever  and 
anon  rises  to  the  surface  to  charm  the  listener,  so  does 
the  thought  of  the  Father's  will  permeate  the  whole 
wondrous  life  of  the  Redeemer,  while  ever  and  anon  it 
comes  out  into  clear  and  distinct  utterance  of  his  lips. 
You  can  hear  it  in  these  words  to  his  Mother  —  Wist 
ye  not  that  I  must  be  about  my  Father's  business?  or  in 
my  Father's  house?  You  can  hear  it  in  these  cheery 
words  from  the  weary  traveller  at  the  well  of  Sychar. 
"  My  meat  is  to  do  the  will  of  him  that  sent  me  and  to 
finish  his  work."  You  can  hear  it  in  these  answers  to 
his  cavilling  foes — "  I  can  of  mine  own  self  do  nothing; 
as  I  hear  I  judge;  and  my  judgment  is  just  because  I 
seek  not  mine  own  will  but  the  will  of  the  Father  which 
hath  sent  me  " — "  I  came  down  from  heaven  not  to  do 
mine  own  will  but  the  will  of  him  that  sent  me."  "  He 
that  sent  me  is  with  me;  the  Father  hath  not  left  me 
alone;  for  I  do  always  those  things  that  please  him." 
Everyone  of  these  passages  declares  in  almost  identical 
phrase  the  animating  purpose  of  all  his  actions.  "  The 
will  of  him  that  sent  me  " — "  the  will  of  the  Father  " — 
"  his  work  " — "  those  things  that  please  him  " ;  it  is  the 
same  sweet  strain  of  obedience  that  is  heard  in  them  all. 
Then  as  the  end  draws  nigh  and  he  anticipates  the  com- 
plete fulfilment  of  his  purpose  we  hear  him  addressing 
the  Father  and  making  the  triumphant  claim  — "  I  have 
glorified  thee  on  the  earth ;  I  have  finished  the  work 
which  thou  gavest  me  to  do  —  a  claim  repeated  a  few 
hours  afterward  as  with  his  expiring  breath  he  cried  to 
God  and  men  — "  It  is  finished." 

Besides  all   this   direct   testimony  how  many   indirect 


Obedience  73 

intimations  we  have  of  an  obedient  spirit !  How  often 
the  name  of  the  Father  falls  from  his  lips!  It  is  the 
unconscious  manifestation  of  his  affectionate  loyalty. 
More  than  a  hundred  times  in  a  single  Gospel  —  the 
Gospel  of  John  —  do  we  find  a  record  of  his  reverent  use 
of  this  endearing  name.  With  what  manifold  variation 
is  the  central  strain  thus  wrought  into  the  several  parts. 
Listen  and  see  how  the  Father  is  ever  uppermost  in  his 
mind  — "  I  am  come  in  my  Father's  name  and  ye  receive 
me  not  " — "  I  honor  my  Father  and  ye  do  dishonor  me  " 
— "  I  am  the  true  vine  and  my  Father  is  the  husband- 
man " — "  In  my  Father's  house  are  many  mansions." 
And  when  he  is  about  to  leave  the  world,  his  way  of 
expressing  it  is  — "  I  go  to  the  Father  and  after  his 
resurrection  with  his  thoughts  still  turning  spontaneously 
in  the  same  direction  he  says  to  Mary  Magdalene  — "  I 
ascend  to  my  Father  and  your  Father,  to  my  God  and 
your  God." 

What  further  evidence  do  we  wish?  If  anything  need 
be  —  can  be  added  —  it  is  contained  in  the  fact  declared 
in  our  text.  He  became  obedient  unto  death.  The 
faithful  and  true  Witness  sealed  his  testimony  with  his 
blood.  Like  the  soldier  who  abides  at  his  post  when  the 
well-aimed  missiles  of  the  enemy  fly  about  him  — 
obedient  unto  death.  Like  the  Pompeian  guard,  stand- 
ing erect  till  the  descending  shower  of  hot  ashes  covered 
him  where  he  stood  to  be  revealed  by  the  excavators 
of  later  centuries  the  eloquent  monument  to  his  own 
fidelity,  obedient  unto  death. 

But  is  this  all  ?  Was  death  only  the  outer  limit  —  the 
golden  clasp  of  his  obedient  career?  Was  it  nothing 
more  than  martyrdom  for  the  truth?  Was  he  only  a 
passive  subject?  Was  he  not  obedient  in  his  death? 
Was  not  his  death  a  part  of  his  obedience?  Was  it  not 
the  very  climax  of  his  active  obedience,  the  culminating 
act  of  his  execution  of  the  will  of  the  Father?  Could 
we  have   positive   action   asserted   more  clearly   than   in 


74  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

these  words  of  Jesus? — "  Therefore  doth  my  Father  love 
me  because  I  lay  down  my  life  that  I  might  take  it  again. 
No  man  taketh  from  me  but  I  lay  it  down  of  myself. 
I  have  power  to  lay  it  down  and  I  have  power  to  take 
it  again.  This  commandment  have  I  received  of  my 
Father."  He  was  not  torn  in  pieces  by  the  relentless 
forces  of  evil,  but  surrendering  himself  to  their  hand  he 
laid  down  his  life  at  the  Father's  bidding.  Yea  in  the 
very  act  of  his  final  surrender  to  death  his  action  is 
clearly  seen  as  he  "  cried  with  a  loud  voice  and  yielded  up 
his  spirit." 

The  obedience  of  Jesus,  notwithstanding  infirmities  of 
the  flesh,  notwithstanding  constant  contact  with  the  vice 
of  his  time,  notwithstanding  attacks  of  men  and  devils, 
through  all  his  years,  through  all  he  did  and  said  and 
thought,  through  every  purpose,  imagination  and  feeling, 
was  unfaltering,  unswerving,  absolutely  perfect,  receiving 
the  highest  possible  sanction  in  his  resurrection  from  the 
dead  by  his  own  and  the  Father's  hand. 

II.  Let  us  now  in  the  second  place  consider  the  at- 
tractive example  which  his  obedience  furnishes  to  his  fol- 
lowers. 

We  do  not  forget  that  Christ's  perfect  obedience  is 
even  more  intimately  connected  with  our  salvation.  He 
is  an  Atoner  as  well  as  an  Exemplar,  the  obedience  of 
the  cross  laying  the  foundation  of  our  hope.  By  its 
inexhaustible  merit  the  believer  is  justified  before  God. 
Paul's  statement  to  the  Romans  (5:  19)  is  pertinent  and 
sufficient — "As  by  one  Man's  disobedience  many  were 
made  sinners;  so  by  the  obedience  of  one  shall  many  be 
made  righteous." 

But  we  choose  at  this  time  to  confine  our  thoughts  to 
Jesus  as  an  example.  In  this  we  are  warranted  by  the 
introducing  context  — "  Let  this  mind  be  in  you  which 
was  also  in  Christ  Jesus  who  .  .  .  being  found  in  fashion 
as  a  man,  humbled  himself,  and  became  obedient  unto 
death,  even  the  death  of  the  cross."     It  is  the  obedient 


Obedience  75 

mind  that  is  commended  to  our  imitation.  We  are  not 
to  reproduce  the  circumstances  but  the  spirit  of  his  life. 
We  might  live  in  Galilee,  gather  about  us  the  fishermen 
of  the  lake,  retire  betimes  to  the  solitude  of  the  mountain, 
wander  about  from  place  to  place  —  in  short,  copy  many 
external  details  of  the  Redeemer's  life  and  yet  have  none 
of  his  spirit;  on  the  other  hand  we  may  abide  in  a  palace 
like  Joseph,  or  languish  in  prison,  like  Bunyan,  or  lie 
on  an  invalid's  couch  like  many  of  God's  purest  saints 
and  have  the  mind  of  Christ  without  any  outward  like- 
ness to  his  life.  Dr.  Arnold  of  Rugby  tells  of  a  saintly 
sister  who  for  twenty  years  was  confined  to  a  crib,  never 
changing  her  position  for  all  that  time,  in  this  enthusi- 
astic way — "  I  never  saw  a  more  perfect  instance  of  the 
spirit  and  power  of  love  and  of  a  sound  mind,  intense 
love,  almost  to  the  annihilation  of  selfishness;  a  daily 
martyrdom  for  20  years,  during  which  she  adhered  to 
her  early  formed  purpose  of  never  talking  about  herself 
— ■  enjoying  everything  lovely,  graceful,  beautiful,  high- 
minded,  whether  in  God's  work  or  man's,  with  the  keen- 
est relish ;  inheriting  the  earth  to  the  very  fullness  of  the 
promise;  and  preserved  through  the  very  valley  of  the 
shadow  of  death  from  all  fear  or  impatience,  or  from 
every  cloud  of  impaired  reason  which  might  mar  the 
beauty  of  Christ's  glorious  work.  May  God  grant  that 
I  may  come  within  one  hundred  degrees  of  her  place 
in  glory."  That  was  no  slavish  copy  but  a  real  imita- 
tion of  the  self-emptying  example  of  Jesus. 

Our  obedience,  like  Christ's,  should  be  constant.  His 
was  rooted  in  love  —  love  to  the  Father  whose  will  was 
obeyed,  love  to  the  law  which  was  the  expression  of  his 
will.  He  could  have  compassion  on  the  weakness  of 
others,  but  he  could  not  be  tolerant  of  anything  less  than 
perfection  in  himself.  Without  blushing  or  effrontery  he 
could  challenge  his  hearers  — "  Which  of  you  con- 
vinceth  me  of  sin?"  As  youth  and  man,  whether 
obscure  or  popular  or  persecuted,  he  always  did  what 


76  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

pleased  the  Father.  So  the  obedience  of  believers  should 
flow  steadily  on  from  year  to  year  —  from  day  to  day. 
Out  of  an  unfailing  spring  of  love  to  Christ  it  should 
descend  into  the  ways  of  life.  Said  Chalmers  of  an  elder 
who  died  of  cholera  in  Glasgow — "Instead  of  saying 
that  he  labored  I  should  say  that  he  luxuriated  in  well- 
doing." Love  makes  obedience  a  luxury  instead  of  a 
task.  "  He  that  hath  my  commandments  and  keepeth 
them,  he  it  is  that  loveth  me."  In  silent  days  of  retreat 
as  well  as  in  the  throng  of  business,  on  the  journey  as 
well  as  in  the  home,  at  midnight's  holy  hour  as  well 
as  in  the  glare  of  day,  there  is  a  silken  cord  binding  him 
to  the  throne  of  God  and  the  line  of  duty. 

The  shallow  critics  of  John  Howard,  the  philanthro- 
pist, found  fault  with  him  because  he  could  go  to  Rome 
and  neglect  its  splendid  art.  But  what  was  the  secret 
of  his  neglect?  Was  it  indifference  or  rather  self- 
denial?  It  was  the  act  of  a  soul  wedded  to  a  single 
purpose,  using  every  hour  to  accomplish  it,  resisting  every 
attraction  to  turn  aside.  The  sarcasm  of  the  essayist  is 
only  too  just  when  he  says  — "  Such  a  sin  against  taste 
is  very  far  beyond  the  reach  of  common  saintship  to  com- 
mit." Common  saintship  may  criticize  but  cannot  ap- 
proach the  magnificent  self-surrender  of  Howard.  It 
may  sneer  at  him  as  narrow,  as  the  shallow  brook  might 
sneer  at  the  mill-race  that  runs  the  machinery,  that  grinds 
the  grain.  There  is  a  narrowness  of  vision,  of  prejudice 
that  means  ignorance.  But  there  is  also  a  narrowness  of 
concentration  that  means  power.  Howard's  neglect  had 
a  precedent  in  Paul's  at  Athens,  when  his  soul  was  stirred, 
not  by  the  marks  of  its  intellectual  supremacy  but  by 
its  abounding  idolatry  and  ignorance  of  God.  "  This 
one  thing  I  do,"  was  the  motto  of  both  Paul  and  Howard 
and  it  was  a  splendid  reflection  of  that  of  the  Master  — 
"  I  must  work  the  works  of  him  that  sent  me  while  it  is 
day."  Our  obedience,  like  Christ's,  should  also  be  joy- 
ful.    His  was  free  and  unconstrained  as  the  song  of  the 


Obedience  77 

bird.  He  was  eager  for  every  requirement  of  his  mis- 
sion. "Then  said  I,  Lo'I  come;  in  the  volume  of 
the  book  it  is  written  of  me.  I  delight  to  do  thy  will 
O  my  God,  yea  thy  law  is  within  my  heart."  He 
bounded  forward  to  the  duty  of  every  time.  When  his 
hour  was  come  he  steadfastly  set  his  face  to  go  to  Jerusa- 
lem, undeterred  by  the  knowledge  that  Gethsamane  and 
the  cross  were  before  him. 

If  we  could  only  have  something  of  the  same  spirit, 
the  same  ungrudging,  untrammelled,  hearty  subjection  to 
God,  what  a  pleasure  obedience  would  become!  We 
would  be  ready  for  any  service,  equally  ready  for  any 
sacrifice. 

The  spirit  of  obedience  is  perfectly  consistent  with  the 
bounding  spirit  of  liberty.  Queen  Mary  had  no  more 
loyal  subjects  than  the  liberty-loving  Knox  and  his 
compeers.  But  liberty  is  not  license.  True  liberty  is 
married  to  righteous  law  and  cursed  be  he  who  seeks 
to  put  them  asunder.  What  idle  talk  we  hear!  "  I 
must  be  free  " —  I  refuse  to  surrender  my  liberty  —  I  will 
submit  to  no  yoke — I  glory  in  my  independence." 
What  does  it  all  mean?  Is  law  outgrown?  Is  liberty 
gone  mad?  Has  the  spirit  of  independence  dethroned 
God?  Do  men  mean  to  disregard  all  authority  human 
and  divine?  Emphasize  individuality  as  over  against 
the  shackles  of  caste  and  outworn  dogma  and  tyrannous 
precedent  but  surely  not  against  the  law  and  truth  and 
right.  Let  the  individual  reason  be  subject  to  truth  and 
the  individual  conscience  be  subject  to  right.  To  the 
mind  of  Webster  no  thought  seemed  so  great  as  that  of 
responsibility  to  God.  And  to  a  soul  rightly  attuned, 
no  pleasure  can  equal  that  of  glad  surrender  to  the 
guidance  and  government  of  Him  to  whom  we  are  re- 
sponsible. 

"  Whosoever  committeth  sin,"  says  Jesus,  "  is  the  bond- 
servant of  sin."  Sin  enslaves;  obedience  emancipates. 
How  pitiable  the  abject  victim  of  lust  or  envy,  of  wrath 


78  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

or  pride,  who  says — "I  hate  my  chains  but  I  cannot 
break  them."  He  only  is  the  Lord's  free  man  who  can 
bid  Satan  —  Get  thee  hence!  and  sing  with  David,  "O 
how  I  love  thy  law  —  thy  law  is  better  unto  me  than 
thousands  of  silver  and  gold." 

Let  it  be  admitted  that  they  who  worship  the  spec- 
tacular will  not  be  attracted  by  such  a  life  as  Christ  led. 
Ribbons  and  parades  and  huzzas  draw  them.  Gorgeous 
Herod  is  their  idol  rather  than  the  modest  Christ.  They 
must  be  conspicuous  or  they  are  nothing.  But  true  great- 
ness can  walk  in  quiet  paths.  It  can  abide  alone  with 
God.  If  need  be,  it  can  do  without  the  world's  homage. 
It  can  be  zealous  and  not  say  with  Jehu  — "  Come  see 
my  zeal."  It  is  belittled  in  its  own  eyes  when  it  becomes 
conscious  of  mere  self-seeking.  It  blushes  for  shame 
when  its  inward  thought  is  —  Behold  me!  Behold  me! 
It  says  to  itself  — "  seekest  thou  great  things  for  thyself ; 
seek  them  not." 

Let  it  be  your  ambition  to  shine  like  the  stars  with  a 
steady  light,  rather  than  to  blaze  like  a  meteor  that  only 
startles  for  the  moment.  Be  ambitious  to  fulfill  your 
appointed  destiny,  to  fill  as  large  a  place  as  God  has  made 
you  for  and  fill  it  full  with  worthy  service  rather  than 
empty  announcements.  "  That  which  makes  us  men," 
said  a  distinguished  bishop  recently,  "  is  the  capacity  for 
regarding  the  eternal."  If  you  would  be  men,  see  that  you 
do  not  lose  this  capacity  in  mere  pleasure-seeking  and 
money-getting.  Carry  God  and  the  moral  law  into 
whatever  calling  you  enter.  True  manliness  springs 
from  "  seeing  Him  who  is  invisible "  and  bending  our 
souls  into  harmony  with  his  holy  will. 

Ladies  and  gentlemen  of  the  class  of  1891,  I  shall  be 
glad  if  I  have  been  able  to  fasten  anew  in  your  minds 
the  thought  of  obedience,  commended  to  you  by  the 
example  of  Jesus.  I  trust  you  will  go  forth  to  be  law- 
abiding  citizens,  faithful  husbands  or  wives, —  above  all 
to  be  loyal  subjects  of  our  Peerless  Chief  —  Jesus  of 


Obedience  79 

Nazareth.  Count  it  not  beneath  you  to  sit  at  His  feet 
and  learn.  Think  it  no  infringement  of  your  liberty  to 
be  hedged  about  by  the  Ten  Commandments.  Ask  no 
longer  tether-line,  no  larger  sphere  than  the  will  of  God 
allows  you. 

First  of  all  be  obedient  to  the  command  of  the  Gospel 
— "  Believe  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ."  That  will  settle 
the  question  of  your  salvation  and  leave  you  free  to  serve 
him  further  with  a  loving,  willing  mind.  Then  wait 
upon  him  for  orders.  Raise  every  day  the  question  — 
—  What  wilt  thou  have  me  to  do?  To  the  call  of 
Providence  — "  Whom  shall  we  send  and  who  will  go 
for  us?  let  your  heart  respond  — "  Here  am  I ;  send  me." 
Keep  in  touch  with  Christ,  like  Enoch  walk  with  God 
and  whether  in  the  Gospel  ministry  or  in  secular  call- 
ings, in  our  own  or  in  other  lands,  fulfil  the  duty  of  the 
time  and  the  hour. 

Are  you  attracted  by  the  thought  of  doing  good  to 
others?  Do  you  long  to  be  serviceable  to  mankind  and 
whether  recognized  or  unrecognized  to  be  among  the 
world's  benefactors  according  to  your  measure?  The 
story  of  Jesus  grandly  illustrates  the  fact  that  service  to 
man  and  obedience  to  God  are  only  different  phases  of 
the  same  thing  —  of  one  life. 

Within  sight  of  the  shore  of  Africa,  the  English  ves- 
sel, Birkenhead  went  down  to  the  bottom  of  the  sea 
with  450  men  on  deck.  Called  suddenly  from  their 
hammocks  they  were  apprized  of  the  danger  that  was 
imminent.  The  boats  were  only  sufficient  to  save  the 
women  and  children  and  before  they  could  return  to 
rescue  the  men  the  awful  catastrophe  was  sure  to  come. 
Yet  the  command  came  to  the  men  — "  Fall  in  on  deck 
by  companies,"  and  with  sublime  heroism  as  soon  as  they 
knew  what  it  all  meant  they  obeyed  instantly  with  scarce 
an  exception.  The  Captain's  wise  order  secured  the 
safety  of  all  the  women  by  the  self-sacrifice  of  the  noble 
men.     The  path  of  obedience  was  the  path  of  glorious 


80  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

service.  The  captain  of  our  salvation  is  in  command 
and  the  world  is  sinking  to  its  doom.  How  shall  the 
helpless  ones  be  saved?  Let  us  wait  on  the  orders  of 
our  Commander.  Let  us  go  down  with  him  into  the 
depths. 

My  young  friends,  be  obedient  unto  him  and  all  will 
be  noble  and  well  with  you.  Be  obedient  unto  him  and 
your  life  will  be  a  continuous  blessing  unto  others.  Who- 
soever will  be  great  among  you  let  him  be  your  minister; 
and  whosoever  will  be  chief  among  you  let  him  be  your 
servant,  even  as  the  Son  of  Man  came  not  to  be  ministered 
unto  but  to  minister  and  to  give  his  life  for  a  ransom 
for  many."  "  Let  this  mind  be  in  you  which  was  also  in 
him." 


SERMON  VII,  1892 

THE   IMPORTANCE    OF   WORDS 

By  thy  words  thou  shalt  be  justified,  and  by  thy  words  thou 
shall  be  condemned. —  Math.  12:  37. 

MEN  talk  of  empty  words  and  no  doubt  much  of 
conversation  and  public  speech  affords  illustration  of 
their  meaning.  Yet  is  it  not  rather  the  empty  mind  that 
gives  character  to  speech?  We  are  apt  to  deceive  our- 
selves with  the  thought  that  there  is  some  inherent  empti- 
ness in  words.  As  Hobbes  utters  it  — "  Words  are  wise 
men's  counters,  they  do  but  reckon  by  them;  but  they 
are  the  money  of  fools."  But  are  they  mere  counters 
with  no  intrinsic  value?  Are  they  not  the  recognized 
currency  in  the  world  of  intellect,  the  medium  of  ex- 
change, having  a  substantial  basis  of  thought?  Are  they 
fools  who  suppose  that  their  words  convey  actual  value? 

Words  and  ideas  are  counterparts  of  each  other  and 
to  make  the  one  antagonistic  to  the  other  is  to  separate 
chief  friends,  yea  even  to  divorce  the  wedded  after  they 
have  long  and  lovingly  dwelt  together. 

If  a  word  is  regarded  as  a  mere  combination  of  signs 
or  sounds,  a  thing  of  sense  only,  no  wonder  its  importance 
is  undervalued.  But  if  its  symbolic  character  is  discerned 
and  behind  the  signs  and  sounds  we  see  the  lines  and 
shades  of  thought  and  feeling,  the  clear  distinctions  of 
reason,  the  sweep  of  imagination,  the  play  of  fancy  or  of 
impulse,  the  rugged  outline  of  purpose,  if  it  stands  for 
all  that  takes  place  within  and  between  two  worlds,  the 
world  of  nature  and  the  world  of  man,  a  word  becomes 
a  thing  of  supreme  value  and  almost  of  reverence.  They 
who  have  said  seemingly  extravagant  things  concerning 

81 


82  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

words  have  been  nearer  the  truth  than  they  who  have 
belittled  them.  They  have  been  mighty  forces  in  the 
world's  life.  "  Syllables  govern  the  world,"  is  the  sweep- 
ing statement  of  the  learned  Selden.  "  Words  make 
truth  to  spangle  and  its  rays  to  shine,"  said  John  Bun- 
yan  and  his  own  writings  give  sufficient  proof  of  it. 
Solomon's  high  estimate  of  the  importance  of  words  ap- 
pears both  in  his  condemnation  of  the  evil  and  his  com- 
mendation of  the  good.  How  true  to  life  is  this  — 
"  There  is  that  speaketh  like  the  piercings  of  a  sword." 
And  how  charming  is  the  familiar  picture  which  this 
verse  contains  — "  A  word  fitly  spoken  is  like  apples  of 
gold  in  baskets  of  silver."  But  in  our  text  we  have  the 
authoritative  declaration  of  Jesus.  He  leads  us  out 
beyond  the  present  influence  of  what  is  said,  beyond  the 
power  of  words  in  past  or  current  history.  He  quickens 
our  sense  of  responsibility  for  our  words  by  confront- 
ing us  with  the  eternal  judgment  and  assuring  us  — 
"  By  thy  words  thou  shalt  be  justified  and  by  thy  words 
thou  shalt  be  condemned." 

I.  A  man's  words  are  the  chief  exponent  of  himself. 

An  exponent  is  that  which  sets  forth  or  fitly  represents 
that  for  which  it  stands.  A  standard-bearer  may  or  may 
not  be  a  true  exponent  of  his  party.  He  may  be  a  man 
of  principle,  while  his  supporters  may  be  only  hungry  for 
the  spoils.  Or  he  may  be  the  fittest  man  of  his  time, 
the  beau-ideal  to  embody  the  sentiment  that  reigns  in  the 
breasts  of  his  fellow-reformers.  In  this  sense  a  man's 
words,  taken  as  a  whole,  flowing  out  spontaneously,  in- 
evitably from  within,  are  the  exponent  of  the  man. 

We  sometimes  bring  words  and  acts  into  comparison 
to  the  great  advantage  of  the  latter  and  rightly  too  in 
many  a  single  instance.  Your  liberal  gift  to  the  needy 
shows  more  than  your  strong  commendation  of  a  philan- 
thropic effort.  But  after  all,  is  not  the  real  contrast  be- 
tween profession  and  practice  —  between  seeming  and  be- 
ing?    A  deed  may  be  a  pretense;  a  word  may  be  nobly 


The  Importance  of  Words  83 

sincere.  One  may  give  to  be  seen  of  men  and  another 
may  speak  to  the  glory  of  God.  Either  word  or  deed  in 
an  isolated  case  may  misrepresent  the  man.  Yet  words 
and  deeds  alike  are  the  natural  indices  of  character  and 
either,  in  the  mass  of  what  is  said  or  done,  at  home  or 
abroad,  in  private  or  in  public,  to  friend  or  foe,  will  re- 
veal the  soul  within. 

Have  you  ever  thought  how  much  of  your  life  is  taken 
up  with  speaking  or  hearing,  writing  or  reading  words? 
You  read  the  scriptures  or  the  newspaper,  the  story  or 
oration;  you  write  a  letter  or  a  brief  or  a  prescription 
or  a  sermon.  You  meet  your  neighbor  and  you  exchange 
salutations.  You  visit  your  neighbor  and  you  chat  about 
the  old  times  and  the  new,  the  joys  and  the  sorrows,  the 
hopes  and  the  fears  and  soul  is  revealed  to  soul  through 
transparent  speech.  The  community  assembles  and  grave 
problems  of  public  improvement  and  public  safety  are  dis- 
cussed. It  may  be  a  case  of  village  improvement.  We 
remove  unsightly  things,  plant  trees  and  shrubs  and 
flowers,  beautify  our  streets  and  residences  as  if  moved 
by  one  common  impulse.  We  say  our  deft  fingers  and 
muscular  arms  and  strong  shoulders  have  done  it.  But 
the  first  digging  and  planting  and  ornamenting  were  done 
by  words,  words  of  invitation  to  assemble,  words  of  sug- 
gestion, quickening  and  hope  when  assembled.  Purpose 
and  plan  were  born  of  kindly,  earnest  discussion  in  which 
as  iron  sharpeneth  iron  so  a  man  sharpeneth  the  counte- 
nance of  his  friend.     Prov.  27:  17. 

Think  over  any  particular  day  of  your  life  at  its  close 
and  what  is  it  that  responds  promptly  to  memory's  call? 
A  conversation,  a  remark  spoken  or  heard,  maybe  a 
prayer.  Some  word  of  another  rankles  in  your  breast,  or 
maybe  conscience  lashes  you  for  an  ill  word  spoken  by 
your  own  lips.  Some  appreciative  word  has  spread  sun- 
shine through  your  soul  or  some  timely,  happy  word  of 
yours  has  wrought  good  to  men  or  service  to  truth  or 
glory  to  God. 


84  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

Ah!  how  divine  a  gift  is  speech!  It  is  the  bond  and 
spur  and  glory  of  the  human  race.  "  This,"  says  Max 
Muller,  "  is  the  Rubicon  the  brute  has  never  crossed." 
What  a  dull  and  spiritless  thing  life  would  be  if  men, 
aye  and  women  too  were  mute  and  all  this  delightful 
intercourse  of  thought  and  experience  were  brought  to  an 
end. 

Not  only  do  words  constitute  a  large  part  of  one's 
activity  but  that  part  which  is  most  distinctive  of  him 
as  an  individual.  They  reveal  his  personality  as  nothing 
else  can  do.  The  salient  features,  the  distinguishing 
characteristics  will  impress  themselves  on  his  language. 
As  the  Saviour  expresses  it  — "  Out  of  the  abundance  of 
the  heart  the  mouth  will  speak,"  and  the  obverse  state- 
ment of  that  truth  is  that  the  utterance  of  the  mouth  will 
declare  the  abundance  of  the  heart. 

It  is  true  of  a  nation  that  we  may  infer  its  character 
from  its  phraseology.  Tell  us  what  are  the  dominant 
words  of  a  people  and  we  know  what  dominates  their 
life.  We  sometimes  compare  the  English  and  the  French 
for  example.  Duty,  pluck,  fair  play  are  the  watchwords 
of  the  one,  glory,  brilliancy  are  the  words  of  admiration 
of  the  other  and  in  them  we  read  the  prevailing  spirit  of 
each.  'Tis  said  we  Americans  worship  smartness  and 
money  and  I  fear  our  words  of  common  use  would  sustain 
the  uncomplimentary  assertion. 

And  what  is  true  of  nations  and  races  and  communities 
is  equally  true  of  individuals.  Carlyle  writes  of  Luther 
in  this  way,  "  Richter  says  of  Luther's  words  —  his  words 
are  half  battles.  They  may  be  called  so.  The  essential 
quality  of  him  was  that  he  could  fight  and  conquer,  that 
he  was  a  right  piece  of  human  valor."  In  short  his  words 
were  charged  with  his  essential  quality  and  therefore 
rightly  characterized  as  half  battles.  Grant  too  sum- 
marized and  set  forth  his  own  character  in  a  few 
tremendous  phrases  that  are  as  familiar  as  household 
words.     "  No  terms  except  unconditional  and  immediate 


The  Importance  of  Words  85 

surrender  can  be  accepted."  "  We  will  fight  it  out  on 
this  line  if  it  takes  all  summer."  "  Let  us  have  peace." 
Each  one  is  a  photograph  of  the  man,  a  front  or  side 
view  of  one  whose  quiet,  rugged  strength  all  the  world 
admired. 

If  the  intimate  correspondence  between  words  and 
character  seems  more  marked  in  these  than  in  ordinary 
instances  it  is  only  because  the  personality  is  more  marked. 
Everywhere  the  correspondence  exists.  Even  though  one 
study  concealment  his  most  ordinary  speech  will  betray 
him.  No  matter  whether  many  or  few,  whether  guarded 
or  unguarded,  his  words  open  windows  through  which 
we  can  look  into  his  very  soul.  The  thoughts  within 
press  for  utterance  and  the  heart  is  laid  bare  ere  he  is 
aware  of  it.  There  are  indeed  Sphinx-like  persons, 
human  enigmas,  who  are  unknown  by  their  fellows,  but 
even  in  such  a  case  the  enigma  is  in  the  person  and  his 
words  announce  correctly  enough  his  nature.  There  goes 
a  noted  reformer,  an  advocate  of  all  "  sweetness  and 
light,"  but  a  surly,  ill-mannered  remark  at  a  railway 
station  shows  that  he  partakes  of  the  nature  of  the  bear 
as  well  as  of  the  angel.  Hear  another  prate  of  refine- 
ment yet  ever  complaining  of  scanty  income  and  con- 
stant appeal  and  you  are  quite  sure  that  sordid,  unre- 
fined greed  is  his  ruling  passion.  Hear  another  im- 
patiently claiming  everything  as  his  own  and  you  know 
he  is  either  a  baby  or  a  bully.  So  might  we  go  over 
human  traits  without  limit  and  say  to  their  possessors  — 
"  Surely  thou  art  thus  and  so,  for  thy  speech  bewrayeth 
thee."  It  would  be  interesting  to  show  farther  how 
words  impress  one's  personality  on  others.  Speech  not 
only  reveals  but  conveys  thought  and  purpose.  It  is 
the  grand  medium  of  influence.  Even  a  casual  word 
may  either  rescue  or  ruin  another.  It  may  set  in 
motion  a  wave  of  influence  from  soul  to  soul  that  will 
never  reach  the  farther  shore  but  keep  on  and  on  through 
eternity. 


86  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

A  dreamer  dropped  a  random  thot — 'Twas  old  and  yet 

'twas  new, 
A  simple  fancy  of  the  brain,  but  strong  in  being  true, 
It  shone  upon  a  genial  mind  and  lo!  its  light  became 
A  lamp  of  life,  a  beacon  ray,  a  monitory  flame, 
The  thought  was  small,  its  issue  great  —  a  watch-fire  on 

the  hill, 
It  sheds  its  radiance  for  a  dawn,  and  cheers  the  valley 

still. 

A  nameless  man,  amid  a  crowd  that  thronged  the  daily 

mart 
Let  fall  a  word  of  hope  and  love,  unstudied  from  the 

heart ; 
A  whisper  on  the  tumult  thrown,  a  transitory  breath 
It  raised  a  brother  from  the  dust,  it  saved  a  soul  from 

death. 
O  germ!     O  fount!     O  word  of  love!     O  thought  at 

random  cast! 
Ye  were  but  little  at  the  first,  but  mighty  at  the  last. 

II.  The  place  of  words  in  the  judgment,  "  But  I  say 
unto  you,  that  every  idle  word  that  men  shall  speak  they 
shall  give  an  account  thereof  in  the  day  of  judgment. 
For  by  thy  words  thou  shalt  be  justified  and  by  thy  words 
thou  shalt  be  condemned." 

In  what  way  will  words  justify  or  condemn?  Just 
in  the  same  way  as  works  do.  John's  vision  is  of  a 
great  white  throne  before  which  stand  great  and  small  to 
be  judged  out  of  the  things  written  in  the  books  accord- 
ing to  their  works."  Words  are  works.  Neither  will 
make  men  righteous  before  God.  Let  us  hold  fast  to  this 
that  the  only  ground  of  justification  is  the  obedience  and 
blood  of  the  Redeemer.  But  both  words  and  works  do 
manifest  the  state  of  the  heart.  Words  have  a  moral 
character  which  makes  them  deserving  of  the  scrutiny  of 
the  judgment.     The  element  of  will  enters   into   them 


The  Importance  of  Words  87 

with  varying  force  from  well-nigh  unconscious  consent 
to  the  strong  purpose  of  an  Apollyon  or  a  Gabriel.  So 
competent  a  witness  as  Professor  Whitney  says  concern- 
ing language  in  general  — "  Not  one  item  of  any  existing 
tongue  is  ever  uttered  except  by  the  will  of  the  utterer; 
not  one  is  produced,  not  one  that  has  been  produced  or 
acquired  is  changed  except  by  causes  residing  in  the  human 
will."  If  this  be  true  of  all  speech  it  is  emphatically 
so  of  that  which  crosses  or  coincides  with  the  moral  law. 
There  is  an  accentuation  of  will  when  men  come  to 
choose  between  right  and  wrong  and  fix  their  choice  by 
declaring  it  in  words.  How  incalculable  is  the  distance  I 
how  wide  and  awful  the  gulf  between  one  who  could 
say  of  Jesus — "  Crush  the  wretch!  "  and  one  whose  love 
of  Jesus  and  his  truth  burned  as  a  consuming  fire  and 
prompted  the  exclamation  — "  Give  me  Scotland  or  I 
die." 

Not  only  will  men's  words  because  of  their  moral 
character  be  matter  of  judgment  but  evidence  in  judg- 
ment. The  design  of  the  judgment  is  manifestation  as 
much  as  decision.  It  is  to  vindicate  the  ways  of  God 
to  the  universe.  Words  are  outward  signs,  the  visible 
proofs,  a  part  of  the  evidences  of  character  in  accordance 
with  which  the  righteous  are  acquitted  and  the  wicked 
condemned. 

We  dare  not  be  indifferent  to  the  words  we  speak, 
if  we  have  any  regard  to  the  account  we  must  render. 
Playful  words  indeed  may  serve  an  earnest  purpose,  but 
idle,  useless,  unholy  words  are  marks  of  the  condemned 
and  danger-signals  of  the  judgment. 

Every  man  will  be  considered  by  himself,  apart  from 
his  respectable  position,  from  upholstered  pew  and 
pompous  gift,  from  stocks  and  bonds,  from  station  and 
influence.  Every  accident  of  earth  will  be  stripped  away 
and  naked,  alone,  the  soul  will  stand  to  be  judged. 
Every  man  shall  bear  his  own  burden  and  that  alone  — 
"  By  thy  words  "  shalt  thou  stand  or  fall. 


Baccalaureate  Sermons 


III.  Some  classes  of  words  that  specially  show  the 
character  and  determine  the  issues  of  a  perfect  judgment. 

Have  your  words  been  reverent  or  irreverent?  Have 
you  lightly  spoken  the  names  of  God  and  Jesus  Christ? 
Have  you  trifled  with  his  word  ?  Have  you  sacrilegiously 
tipped  your  arrows  of  wit  with  scripture  phrase?  Have 
you  sought  to  provoke  laughter  by  quotation  of  sacred 
words  in  untimely  and  incongruous  ways?  Have  you 
followed,  afar  off  it  may  be,  that  arch-blasphemer  who 
causes  roars  of  laughter  in  treating  the  serious  holy  theme 
—  What  must  I  do  to  be  saved  ? 

There  is  a  kind  of  profanity  to  which  minds  of  the 
brighter  sort  are  prone.  The  snare  is  insidious  because 
the  sin  is  condoned  by  those  whose  instincts  are  shocked 
by  profanity  in  its  ruder  form.  The  temptation  is  strong 
because  of  the  self-exaltation  that  usually  accompanies  any 
sally  of  wit.  But  does  it  any  less  reveal  an  irreverent 
mind.  At  least  temporarily  the  sense  of  God  is  weak- 
ened, or  else  the  love  of  God  is  wilfully  overborne  by 
love  of  fun.  Such  irreverent  sport  may  cause  a  ripple 
of  satisfaction  to  pass  over  the  company  who  listen,  but 
what  does  God  think  of  it?  Will  not  He  count  his 
honor  sacrificed  for  a  petty  triumph?  Will  He  not  re- 
gard as  an  insult  to  Himself  what  thoughtless  friends 
have  regarded  with  approval? 

All  this  and  more  is  true  of  common  swearing.  Alas, 
that  it  should  be  so  common.  You  can  scarcely  spend 
an  hour  in  any  public  waiting  room  without  being  com- 
pelled to  hear  profane  words.  The  presence  of  the 
friends  of  God  is  ignored.  What  matters  it  that  their 
hearts  are  wounded  by  the  vain  use  of  God's  name ! 
Apart  from  its  gross  immorality,  the  impoliteness  of  it  is 
inexcusable.  Why  do  men  swear?  Not  for  gain,  for 
there  is  none.  It  looks  like  wanton,  unrewarded  disre- 
gard of  God.  It  adds  nothing  to  personal  dignity.  It 
adds  neither  elegance  nor  force  to  speech.  It  advertises 
intellectual  poverty  that  makes  up  in  sound  what  is  lack- 


The  Importance  of  Words  89 

ing  in  sense,  that  resorts  to  oaths  because  strong  right 
words  are  wanting.  I  was  glad  not  long  ago  to  read  this 
sentence  in  the  personal  memories  of  Grant,  "  I  am  not 
aware  of  ever  having  used  a  profane  expletive  in  my  life." 

But  that  which  gives  momentous  importance  to  these 
words  is  that  the  Lord  will  not  hold  him  guiltless  who 
uses  them.  They  are  the  signs  of  an  impious  mind. 
God  is  not  in  all  the  thoughts.  Men  heap  imprecations 
upon  others,  only  to  bring  down  heavy  judgments  upon 
themselves.  There  may  be  no  lightning  stroke  to  record 
at  once  the  Divine  displeasure.  But  sooner  or  later  his 
threatening  will  be  fulfilled  — "  Thou  shalt  not  take  the 
name  of  the  Lord  thy  God  in  vain,  for  the  Lord  will  not 
hold  him  guiltless  who  taketh  his  name  in  vain." 

Are  your  words  clean  or  unclean?  Pure  or  impure? 
Vulgarity  is  less  impious  but  more  debasing  than  pro- 
fanity, even  the  hearing  of  vile  words  gives  the  soul  a 
lingering  taint.  We  dare  not  listen  lest  we  be  defiled. 
We  speak  of  the  deadly  miasma.  It  enters  into  the  blood 
and  reaches  to  every  part  of  the  body.  For  a  time,  under 
favorable  conditions  of  place  and  season,  it  may  seem  to 
be  eliminated.  But  how  often  it  re-appears  with  greater 
virulence  than  before.  With  vicious  tenacity  it  clings  to 
its  victim,  slumbering  for  awhile  but  waking  betimes  to 
assail  with  accumulated  energy.  Such  a  deadly  poison 
do  unpure  words  inject  into  the  soul.  They  defile  the 
imagination,  the  conscience,  the  affections.  Time  and 
wholesome  influences  and  the  spirit's  cleansing  power  may 
do  much  to  remove  their  slimy  marks.  But  the  traces 
are  never  wholly  gone  and  alas  they  often  surprise  us  by 
coming  into  sudden  distressing  relief.  My  young  friend, 
flee,  as  from  the  plague,  from  the  man  of  foul  mouth. 
Let  none  paint  pictures  on  the  chambers  of  your  soul  that 
years  hence  you  will  seek  in  vain  to  remove.  Above  all 
do  not  yourself  besmear  the  pure  soul  of  another  by  filthy 
conversation.  Blush  for  shame  if  you  ever  catch  your- 
self using  words  with  double  meaning.     Count  it  an  in- 


90  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

suit  if  another  presumes  that  you  draw  no  line  between 
the  facetious  and  the  vile.  There  is  a  low  coarse  wit 
that  revels  in  impurity,  that  appeals  to  all  that  is  vile 
in  the  listener.  It  flatters  the  intellect  maybe,  while  dis- 
counting and  destroying  the  moral  character.  Avoid  it, 
discountenance  it,  have  no  fellowship  with  it,  turn  from 
it  and  pass  away.  "  Rejoice,  O  young  man,  in  thy  youth 
and  let  thy  heart  cheer  thee  in  the  days  of  thy  youth 
and  walk  in  the  ways  of  thine  heart  and  in  the  sight  of 
thine  eyes;  but  know  them  that  for  all  these  things  God 
will  bring  thee  into  judgment." 

We  might  illustrate  further  by  words  of  truth  or  false- 
hood. Lying  is  almost  wholly  a  thing  of  words.  Yet 
how  much  it  reveals  of  character.  It  means  untrust- 
worthiness,  dishonor,  ruin.  Organized  society  is  impos- 
sible in  a  community  of  liars.  Its  constituents  have  no 
more  coherence  than  a  pile  of  sand.  Let  us  cultivate  a 
sensitiveness  like  that  of  the  magnetic  needle  with  refer- 
ence to  truth,  that  will  instantly  correct  the  slightest 
divergence. 

Words  of  kindness  or  malignity  are  also  important  in- 
dices of  character.  "  Kind  words  can  never  die,"  we 
say,  and  a  like  immortality  belongs  to  the  unkind.  Love 
is  the  greatest  thing  in  the  world  and  love  speaks,  can- 
not but  speak,  out  of  the  heart's  deep  affection,  words 
of  praise  to  God  and  blessing  to  man.  Hate  too  like  a 
bitter  spring  pours  forth  of  its  abundance  bitter  envious 
words.  Every  man  is  continually  describing  himself  by 
what  he  says  of  others.  What  a  paradox  is  the  tongue 
of  man.  It  is  his  glory  and  anon  his  disgrace.  In  speech 
how  like  an  angel;  in  speech  how  like  a  demon!  There- 
with bless  we  God  even  the  Father;  and  therewith  curse 
we  men  which  we  made  after  the  similitude  of  God. 
Out  of  the  same  mouth  proceed  blessing  and  cursing. 

The  phonograph  registers  and  reproduces  the  sounds 
which  it  receives.     It  catches  the  weeping  of  a  child,  the 


The  Importance  of  Words  91 

whine  of  a  dog,  the  cheer  of  the  crowd,  the  shout  of 
victory,  the  strains  of  music,  the  eloquent  sentences  of  the 
orator,  and  gives  forth  each  again  with  such  exactness 
that  recognition  is  easy  and  immediate.  The  individual 
is  reproduced  and  seems  to  say — "  I  am  with  you  once 
again."  As  the  invention  is  perfected  we  may  expect  re- 
sults of  more  wondrous  accuracy.  Yet  in  its  full  per- 
fection it  will  but  foreshadow  the  perfect  reproduction  of 
the  judgment.  How  it  will  startle  one  to  hear  again  be- 
fore the  universe  his  own  angry  retort,  his  own  lewd 
talk  he  would  not  now  have  published  for  the  world, 
his  own  refusal  to  do  good,  his  own  branded  falsehood. 
How  it  will  delight  one  to  have  recalled  the  words  he 
spake  to  serve  the  right,  to  cheer  the  desponding,  to  bind 
up  the  broken-hearted,  to  honor  the  Lord.  "  Then  shall 
ye  discern  between  the  righteous  and  the  wicked,  between 
him  that  serveth  God  and  him  that  serveth  him  not." 
"  By  thy  words  thou  shalt  be  justified  and  by  thy  words 
thou  shalt  be  condemned." 

Young  ladies  and  gentlemen  of  the  class  of  1892. 
Pleasant  intercourse  have  we  had  with  you  by  reason  of 
this  divine  endowment  of  which  we  have  been  speaking. 
Your  main  business  here  has  been  to  learn  how  to  use 
it  with  readiness  and  effectiveness.  You  go  out  from  us 
let  us  believe  not  only  with  minds  trained  to  think  but 
with  skill  to  express  your  thoughts  clearly  and  forcefully. 
By  your  words  you  will  impress  yourselves  on  your  gen- 
eration. You  dare  not  be  careless  about  them.  You 
must  be  circumspect  in  speech  as  well  as  in  walk.  An 
operator  of  whom  we  read  failed  once  to  give  the  ap- 
pointed signal  and  the  on-rushing  train  carried  those  on 
board  into  awful  destruction.  It  was  more  than  he  could 
bear  and  thenceforth  his  maddened  cry  was,  "  O,  if  I 
only  had."  Who  can  tell  the  possible  damage  of  a  word 
spoken!  Who  can  tell  the  possible  loss  of  a  word  un- 
spoken.    Perhaps  the  wails  of  some  lost  soul  will  be, 


92  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

when  the  histories  and  destinies  of  men  are  known  — 
Oh,  if  I  only  hadn't,  or,  Oh,  if  I  only  had  spoken.  May 
no  such  vain  lament  be  uttered  by  any  one  of  you. 

The  Psalmist  tells  of  some  who  say — "With  our 
tongue  will  we  prevail ;  our  tongues  are  ours ;  who  is  lord 
over  us?"  They  own  the  power  of  the  tongue  but  dis- 
own responsibility  to  God.  Be  guilty  of  no  such  pre- 
sumption. Acknowledge  Jesus  Christ  as  your  Lord  and 
try  to  say  and  do  what  pleases  him. 

That  your  words  may  be  right,  keep  3<our  heart  with 
all  diligence  for  out  of  it  are  the  issues  of  life.  The 
influence  of  words  and  thoughts  is  reciprocal.  Keep  the 
heart  and  words  will  follow.  Keep  the  words  and  you 
greatly  modify  the  course  of  thought. 

Jesus  spake  as  never  man  spake  because  he  was  unique 
in  his  sinlessness.  Spurgeon's  words  were  weighty  be- 
cause back  of  them  was  a  strong  earnest  soul.  If  you 
would  be  heard  be  in  yourself  deserving  of  a  hearing. 
Be  a  man  or  woman  first  and  a  speaker  or  writer  second. 
Be  of  the  same  mind  with  Christ  and  rest  assured  God 
will  not  let  your  words  for  Christ  fall  to  the  ground. 
May  it  be  true  of  everyone  of  you  in  the  day  of  Christ. 
"  By  thy  words  thou  shalt  be  justified." 


SERMON  VIII,  1893 

TRUTH    IN    THE    INWARD    PARTS 
Thou  desirest  truth  in  the  inward  parts. —  Ps.  51:  6. 

DENYING  the  freedom  of  the  human  will  Spinoza 
declares  logically  enough  that  "  repentance  is  not  a 
virtue  or  does  not  arise  from  reason ;  but  he  who  repents 
of  any  deed  he  has  done  is  twice  miserable  or  im- 
potent." But  however  consistent  with  himself,  his  as- 
sertion is  contrary  to  all  human  experience.  Sin  finds 
men  out  and  exacts  its  penalty  within  the  soul  itself. 
Only  a  mind  drugged  with  metaphysical  opiates  or  brutal- 
ized by  vice  or  hardened  into  insensibility  by  familiarity 
with  sin  can  escape  altogether  the  anguish  of  remorse. 
They  die  "  without  bands  "  because  they  have  lost  the 
power  to  think  and  feel  concerning  the  realities  of  the 
moral  universe. 

Christianity  makes  repentance  a  fundamental  virtue. 
"  Except  ye  repent,"  is  written  on  its  very  forefront  as  a 
condition  of  admission  to  its  blessings.  It  hears  the  cry 
that  comes  out  of  the  depths  of  human  souls  and  gives 
satisfying  answer.  It  does  not  seek  to  hush  it  by  show- 
ing there  is  no  need  nor  wisdom  in  it,  but  to  respond  to  it 
with  a  proffer  of  forgiveness. 

For  a  long  time  David's  monstrous  sin  deadened  his 
moral  sense.  Only  when  it  was  quickened  by  faithful 
words  of  rebuke  and  by  the  Spirit's  power  did  he  begin 
to  realize  his  true  situation  and  call  on  God  for  mercy. 
Then  he  began  to  feel  that  God  was  round  about  him — 
closer  than  his  fawning  courtiers.  In  the  brightness  of 
God's  felt  presence  his  sin  came  out  unto  clear  and  bitter 

93 


94  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

consciousness.  He  exclaims  with  great  intensity  of 
emotion  — "  I  acknowledge  my  transgression  and  my  sin 
is  ever  before  me.  Against  thee,  thee  only  have  I  sinned 
and  done  this  evil  in  thy  sight." 

Frederick  the  Great  once  said — "I  have  just  lost  a 
great  battle  and  it  was  entirely  my  own  fault,"  concern- 
ing which  Goldsmith  says  — "  This  confession  displayed 
more  greatness  than  all  his  victories."  Never  did  David 
display  such  greatness  as  when  he  sacrificed  appearances 
at  the  shrine  of  reality,  when  he  acknowledged  before 
God  and  men  profound  sense  of  his  own  sinfulness. 
Nothing  could  be  more  appropriate,  truer  to  the  truth 
of  things,  more  pleasing  to  God  because  in  harmony  with 
his  will  than  the  passionate  utterances  of  this  penitential 
psalm.  Penitence  is  the  first  of  virtues,  because  man  is 
first  of  all  a  sinner.  "  The  sacrifices  of  God  are  a  broken 
spirit;  a  broken  and  contrite  heart,  O  God,  thou  wilt 
not  despise."  Penitence  is  the  return  of  the  sinner  to 
his  right  mind.  The  prodigal  "  comes  to  himself  "  and 
sees  things  as  they  are.  Above  his  horizon  rise  God  and 
eternity,  truth  and  salvation,  responsibility  and  duty  and 
his  whole  estimate  and  ideal  of  life  are  changed.  The 
unseen  henceforth  moulds  the  seen;  the  spiritual  trans- 
forms the  material.  The  unseen  God,  the  unseen  heaven, 
the  unseen  heart  are  the  real  things  and  all  else  is  sub- 
sidiary. "  Behold  thou  desirest  truth  in  the  inward  parts 
and  in  the  hidden  part  thou  shalt  make  me  to  know 
wisdom." 

Let   us  consider  — 

I.  The  meaning  of  "  truth  in  the  inward  parts." 

II.  God's  desire  for  it. 

I.  It  means  veracity  —  truth  as  opposed  to  falsehood. 
God  desires  truth  in  the  outward  expression.  "  Lying 
lips  are  an  abomination  to  the  Lord."  The  sycophant, 
the  whisperer,  the  false  witness,  the  exaggerator,  the  back- 
biter are  all  alike  in  this,  however  else  they  differ,  that 
they  speak  falsely  and  are  displeasing  to  God.     He  who 


Truth  in  the  Inward  Parts  95 

trifles  with  truth,  trifles  at  the  same  time  with  his  Maker 
and  his  own  character.  There  is  an  awfully  blighting 
influence  in  a  single  clear-cut  falsehood.  The  penalty 
God  attaches  to  untruth  is  untruth  and  its  exaction  is 
immediate.  It  is  only  once  that  the  wilful  deviation  has 
occurred  but  that  once  has  lowered  the  standard  of  char- 
acter. It  has  made  falsehood  easier  and  our  homage  to 
truth  less  hearty  and  constant.  It  has  strained  one  lead- 
ing string  of  this  delicate  instrument  —  the  human  soul, 
so  that  its  sounds  are  never  so  clear  and  melodious  again. 
Its  response  to  the  touch  of  other  souls  reveals  the  injury 
it  has  received.  Let  us  be  careful  how  we  mar  what 
we  can  scarcely  ever  mend.  "  Truth,"  says  Ruskin, 
"  forgives  no  insult."  God  desires  truth  in  the  inward 
parts  —  in  the  intellect,  the  conscience  and  the  affections. 
He  wishes  it  to  be  to  man  —  the  law  of  his  mind,  whose 
operation  is  never  suspended,  never  relaxed. 

Let  it  hold  sway  over  his  intellect.  How  often,  alas, 
even  our  intellectual  processes  are  vitiated  by  want  of 
candor.  The  senses  give  a  false  report  because  we  allow 
prejudices  to  direct  their  exercise.  We  see  what  we  wish 
to  see  and  by  and  by  become  incapable  of  seeing  and  our 
testimony  is  discredited  by  those  who  know  us.  How 
often  experts  called  by  opposing  litigants,  flatly  contra- 
dict each  other  in  regard  to  facts  submitted  to  the  obser- 
vation of  them  all!  It  is  no  wonder  that  confidence  in 
such  testimony  is  lessened  when  their  disagreement  in  so 
many  cases  seems  to  be  the  result  of  the  expectations  of 
their  respective  employers.  The  same  is  true  of  the 
memory.  If  we  report  past  occurrences  carelessly,  we 
soon  lose  the  power  of  accuracy  and  confidence  in  our- 
selves. Even  in  the  higher  processes  of  thought,  of  argu- 
ment, dishonesty  may  spoil  it  all.  Says  Luther  — "  Noth- 
ing is  more  pernicious  than  sophistry.  I  compare  it  with 
a  lie,  which  like  a  snowball  the  more  it  is  rolled  the 
greater  it  becomes.  I  like  not  brains  that  can  dispute 
on  both  sides  and  yet  conclude  nothing  clear.     But  I  love 


96  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

an  honest  and  well-affected  mind  that  seeks  after  truth 
simply  and  plainly  and  goes  not  about  with  phantasies 
and  cheating  tricks."  To  all  this  let  all  the  people  say, 
Amen!  Let  each  one,  especially  for  himself,  guard 
against  shuffling  and  subterfuge  and  sophistry  and  all 
intellectual  deceits.  Let  every  man  seek  to  make  his 
own  intellect  a  faithful  and  true  witness. 

Let  truth  likewise  hold  sway  over  the  affections.  Let 
every  manifestation  of  them  be  genuine  —  setting  forth 
truly  the  love  and  joy  and  hope  and  fear  that  reign 
within. 

Not  Katrine,  in  her  mirror  blue 
Gives  back  the  shaggy  banks  more  true 
Than  every  free-born  glance  confessed 
The  guileless  movements  of  her  breast ; 
Whether  joy  danced  in  her  dark  eye, 
Or  woe  or  pity  claimed  a  sigh, 
Or  filial  love  was  glowing  there, 
Or  meek  devotion  poured  a  prayer. 

Thus  Sir  Walter  Scott  describes  the  inward  guileless- 
ness  of  his  heroine  and  commends  her  to  our  admiration. 
It  is  a  picture  any  young  woman  might  well  study  and 
seek  to  copy  in  her  own  life.  Nothing  is  more  beautiful 
in  man  or  woman  than  transparency  of  character,  simpli- 
city, truth  in  the  inward  parts.  Better  far  be  a  simple- 
minded,  guileless  Nathanael,  than  a  cunning  Mephis- 
topheles  or  a  subtle  Sphinx.  I  wish  I  could  so  impress 
you  all  with  the  importance  of  truthfulness  that  you 
would  seek  to  avoid  whatever  might  weaken  or  destroy 
it.  Allow  yourself  no  breach  of  truth  in  either  word  or 
act.  Cultivate  such  sensitiveness  as  will  make  it  the  high- 
est offense  of  another  to  question  your  veracity,  yea  more, 
such  as  will  cause  you  profoundest  grief  when  your 
veracity  is  suspected  by  yourself  and  will  lead  to  the 
correction  of  false  statements  however  inadvertently 
made.     You  may  draw  aside  the  magnetic  needle  for  a 


Truth  in  the  Inward  Parts  97 

time,  but  as  soon  as  it  is  set  free  from  foreign  interfer- 
ence it  springs  back  to  its  true  place  and  points  unerr- 
ingly to  the  North.  With  like  spontaneity  should  the 
soul  return  from  every  careless  or  constrained  wandering 
from  the  truth.  If  the  machinery  of  our  souls  be  set  to 
truth  and  never  wilfully  swerve  from  it,  we  shall  be  the 
delight  of  God  and  shall  dwell  in  his  presence.  "  Lord, 
who  shall  abide  in  thy  tabernacle?  who  shall  dwell  in 
thy  holy  hill?  He  that  walketh  uprightly  and  vvorketh 
righteousness  and  speaketh  the  truth  in  his  heart." 

2.  Truth  in  the  inward  parts  means  reality  —  being 
rather  than  seeming.  The  prophet  Jeremiah  says  of  the 
prophets  of  his  time  that  they  "  walk  in  lies,"  and  our 
modern  Jeremiah,  the  prophet  of  Chelsea  would  say  — 
"  We  live  in  an  age  of  shams,"  and  Ruskin  holds  up 
one  of  his  "  lamps  of  architecture  "  to  convince  us  of  the 
same  fault  of  our  time.  Everything  of  value  has  its  cheap 
imitation.  Gilding  answers  instead  of  gold  and  manu- 
factured gems  vie  with  the  genuine  in  their  sparkling 
brilliancy  and  beauty.  What  is  more  important,  we 
estimate  men  and  women  by  the  outward  appearances. 
Even  we  Americans  rise  up  in  the  presence  of  titles  and 
rank  and  forget  our  lusty  proclamation  of  the  dignity  of 
common  manhood.  We  pay  homage  to  the  shadow  of 
greatness  and  are  less  concerned  about  the  substance. 
We  wish  for  ourselves  to  appear  well.  We  blush  when 
the  collection  basket  finds  us  empty  handed  and  with 
brazen  face  dismiss  the  representative  of  a  good  cause 
with  our  pockets  full.  We  would  seem  to  be  generous, 
brave,  courteous,  magnanimous,  noble  and  too  often  the 
seeming  a  miserable  cheat.  Are  we  not  all  alike  de- 
ceiving and  being  deceived?  Let  him  that  is  without 
sin  among  us  cast  the  first  stone  at  another.  Let  us  listen 
to  Socrates,  the  heathen  teacher,  who  died  for  the  truth 
to  be  uttered.  These  are  his  words  — "  Let  the  reason- 
able and  true  man  study,  as  the  one  thing  needful,  to  be 
the   thing  he  zuould  seem   to   be."     Would  you  seem   a 


98  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

gentleman?  be  a  gentleman.  Would  you  seem  a 
Christian?  be  a  Christian.  For  seeming  is  the  natural 
reflection  of  being.  We  do  not  by  any  means  condemn 
some  regard  to  appearance.  Reputation  is  a  thing  of 
value  and  ought  not  lightly  to  be  thrown  away.  But 
character  which  lies  back  of  it  is  of  far  greater  importance 
and  when  either  must  be  surrendered  for  sake  of  the 
other  let  character  be  maintained.  Better  let  a  cloud 
pass  over  a  fair  name  than  introduce  corruption  into  the 
very  core  of  one's  being.  Popular  approval  is  often 
wrong  and  always  fickle  but  the  approval  of  one's  own 
heart  and  of  God  who  is  greater  than  our  hearts  is  an 
abiding  benediction.  Pilate  on  the  throne  of  Judgment 
was  the  plaything  of  a  mob,  yielding  to  its  clamor,  be- 
cause he  cared  more  for  the  favorable  opinion  of  the  Jews 
than  for  justice  and  truth.  Jesus  at  his  feet,  charged 
as  a  criminal,  was  calm  and  serene,  unmoved  by  the  out- 
cry of  his  accusers,  his  cheek  unblanched  with  fear,  his 
soul  aflame  with  love  to  the  Father.  The  one  seemed 
to  be  some  great  one,  the  other  was.  Which  of  the  two 
will  we  choose  to  be  our  model? 

3.  Truth  in  the  inward  parts  means  sincerity  —  inner 
experience  rather  than  outward  manifestation.  Let  us 
speak  here  of  the  religious  life.  Very  many  of  us  profess 
the  Christian  faith.  Are  we  in  very  truth  joined  to  the 
Lord  in  faith  and  love?  Do  we  make  glad  and  fervent 
acknowledgment  of  Him  as  our  Redeemer  and  Lord? 
Are  we  really  wedded  to  Him  and  to  all  that  concerns 
his  honor  and  the  triumph  of  his  Kingdom?  We  are  all 
here  as  worshippers  in  God's  house.  Is  our  worship 
sincere?  It  needs  no  rare  gifts  to  discern  that  they  who 
by  irreverent  conduct  or  idle  conversation  or  gaping 
curiosity  or  any  engagement  foreign  to  the  service  simply 
pass  the  hour  in  God's  house  have  not  worshipped  at  all. 
They  have  even  dared  to  mock  God  by  their  unseemly 
conduct.  But  it  is  possible  to  observe  the  forms  with 
scrupulousness,  while  the  heart  is  unengaged.     We  must 


Truth  in  the  Inward  Parts  99 

not  only  give  attention  to  the  service,  but  wait  devoutly 
and  sincerely  upon  Him  into  whose  presence  we  come. 
The  words  of  Jesus  are  suggestive  and  solemn  — "  God 
is  a  spirit;  and  they  that  worship  him  must  worship  him 
in  spirit  and  in  truth." 

The  same  heartiness  should  also  characterize  our  serv- 
ice. Impelling  all  our  efforts  there  ought  to  be  the 
enthusiasm  of  love  to  Jesus  and  to  souls.  Our  zeal  need 
not  to  be  tumultuous  but  ought  to  be  intense.  Just  here 
lies  a  danger  connected  with  popular  religious  movements. 
They  begin  at  white  heat  and  cool  as  they  progress.  The 
brazen  serpent  was  God's  instrument  of  deliverance  to  the 
bitten  Israelites.  But  when  it  became  an  idol  Hezekiah 
in  the  spirit  of  true  reform  broke  it  in  pieces  and  called 
it  Nehushtan  —  nothing  but  a  piece  of  brass.  Many  a 
movement  of  modern  days  has  had  a  similar  history.  In 
the  beginning  the  hand  of  God  was  in  it  but  it  became 
only  an  idol  of  those  who  continued  it  and  fit  only  for 
destruction.  If  it  will  be  a  continued  source  of  blessing 
it  must  live  not  upon  the  past  but  in  the  present.  Its 
geuineness  must  be  preserved  or  it  will  cease  to  be  useful 
and  deserve  to  die.  God  struck  down  Ananias  and  Sap- 
phira  for  their  pretense  of  a  fuller  consecration  than  they 
possessed.  The  community  of  believers  were  awe- 
stricken  but  the  Church  was  saved  from  a  deluge  of 
hypocrisy.  The  movement  was  kept  real  and  power  went 
with  it  wherever  it  advanced.  Veracity,  reality,  sincerity 
—  diverse  yet  blending  rays  of  the  sun  of  truth.  We 
must  have  these  or  our  lives  will  be  empty  and  unfruit- 
ful of  good.  Truth  in  the  inward  parts  —  we  must  have 
it  or  be  only  as  the  sounding  brass  or  the  tinkling  cymbal. 

II.  Consider  the  fact  that  God  desires  it.  Nature 
and  the  Bible  alike  make  this  known. 

i.  Nature  is  honest.  The  signs  she  gives  are  uni- 
formly true.  All  the  investigations  of  science  are  based 
upon  this  principle  of  the  uniformity  of  nature.  The  un- 
tutored child  of  the  forest  can  also  read  her  language 


IOO  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

and  rely  upon  it.  The  vine  that  bears  grapes  can  readily 
and  always  be  distinguished  from  the  barren  climber. 
Taught  in  nature's  school,  we  are  never  so  foolish  as  to 
seek  oranges  from  the  oak,  nor  grapes  upon  thorns,  nor 
figs  upon  thistles.  Everything  brings  forth  fruit  after  its 
kind  and  in  its  season. 

The  Saviour's  miracle  upon  the  barren  fig  tree  simply 
interprets  the  ordinary  lesson  of  nature.  It  unseasonably 
gave  signs  of  fruit  that  were  delusive  and  he  pronounced 
his  curse  upon  it,  under  which  it  withered  and  died. 
Its  foliage  must  not  lie  and  bring  reproach  upon  its 
kind.  You  recline  beneath  the  maple  or  the  oak  in  the 
confidence  that  you  are  safe  from  any  poisonous  exhala- 
tion. You  walk  in  your  garden  and  the  rose  lifting  its 
head  to  the  sunlight  and  the  lily  of  the  valley  hiding  it- 
self beneath  abundant  leaves  greet  you  with  their  respec- 
tive odors,  always  the  same.  The  strawberries  upon  your 
table  do  not  disappoint  you  with  some  new  and  un- 
satisfying taste.  So  everywhere  the  things  with  which 
we  are  familiar  are  saying  to  us  with  one  harmonious 
voice  —  Be  true,  Be  true. 

2.  In  our  own  nature,  likewise,  God  has  indicated 
his  desire  for  truth.  We  are  made  for  it.  It  is  a  human 
characteristic,  preserved  in  large  measure  from  the  ruin 
of  the  fall.  If  it  were  otherwise,  social  order  among  men 
would  be  impossible.  Sir  Thomas  Browne  was  once 
asked — "Do  devils  lie?"  and  answered — "No,  for 
then  even  hell  could  not  subsist."  As  long  as  a  soul  is 
unsullied  from  the  world,  unperverted  by  lust,  it  speaks 
truth  and  expects  the  truth  to  be  spoken  by  others.  This 
natural,  spontaneous  activity  reveals  God's  desire  con- 
cerning the  soul.  The  inveterate  credulity  of  our  fel- 
lows, for  which  we  blame  them,  is  itself  testimony  to  an 
inborn  tendency  to  adhere  to  truth  ourselves.  We  ap- 
prove truth  and  condemn  falsity  in  others;  we  are  con- 
scious of  a  certain  violence  to  our  natures  when  we 
transgress  by  lying  or  deception.     So  it  is  written  in  the 


Truth  in  the  Inward  Parts  101 

very  structure  of  our  being  and  in  our  social  relations 
that  we  must  be  true  in  the  inward  parts. 

3.  Let  us,  however,  turn  to  his  word,  in  which  his  will 
is  more  clearly  revealed.  Time  would  fail  us  to  repeat 
all  the  precepts  and  exhortations  and  commands  that 
directly  refer  to  truth  and  honesty  of  heart.  Let  us 
recall  but  a  few.  "  Keep  thy  heart  with  all  diligence  for 
out  of  it  are  the  issues  of  life."  "  Speak  ye  everyone  truth 
with  his  neighbor."  "  Lie  not  one  to  another  seeing  ye 
have  put  off  the  old  man  with  his  deeds."  "  Let  love  be 
without  dissimulation."  "  My  little  children,  let  us  not 
love  in  word,  neither  in  tongue;  but  in  deed  and  in 
truth."  "  Let  us  keep  the  feast,  not  with  old  leaven, 
neither  with  the  leaven  of  malice  and  wickedness,  but 
with  the  unleavened  bread  of  sincerity  and  truth." 
"  This  I  pray  that  your  love  may  abound  yet  more  and 
more  in  knowledge  and  in  all  judgment;  that  ye  may 
approve  things  that  are  excellent;  but  ye  may  be  sincere 
and  without  offense  till  the  day  of  Christ."  Need  I 
quote  more?  Do  not  these  sufficiently  express  God's 
great  desire  that  his  children  be  right-hearted  men  and 
women  —  rooted  and  grounded  in  every  virtue  and 
especially  in  love  which  is  the  sun  and  perfection  of  all  the 
rest. 

God's  treatment  of  those  who  dishonor  truth  likewise 
shows  his  regard  for  it.  Severest  penalties  and  denuncia- 
tions are  heaped  upon  the  liar  and  the  hypocrite.  Gehazi 
returned  to  his  master's  house  with  his  hands  full  of  the 
rewards  of  iniquity  but  when  he  went  out  he  became  a 
leper  as  white  as  now.  The  acted  lie  of  Ananias  and 
Sapphira  —  for  they  said  nothing  —  brought  upon  them 
the  stroke  of  God's  judgment  and  an  immortality  of  in- 
famy. The  Pharisees  —  the  hypocrites  of  the  Saviour's 
day  —  were  singled  out  by  him  for  the  severest  rebukes. 
We  can  scarcely  believe  our  ears  as  we  hear  these  words 
from  those  lips  where  grace  was  wont  to  flow  — "  Woe 
unto  you  scribes  and  Pharisees,  hypocrites!  for  ye  devour 


102  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

widows'  houses  and  for  a  pretense  make  long  prayer; 
therefore  ye  shall  receive  the  greater  damnation.  Woe 
unto  you,  Scribes  and  Pharisees,  hypocrites,  for  ye  are 
like  unto  whited  sepulchres,  which  indeed  appear  beauti- 
ful outward  but  within  are  full  of  dead  men's  bones 
and  all  uncleanness.  Even  so  ye  outwardly  appear 
righteous  unto  men,  but  within  ye  are  full  of  hypocrisy 
and  iniquity  —  Ye  serpents,  ye  generation  of  vipers,  how 
can  ye  escape  the  damnation  of  hell?"  How  intense 
must  have  been  the  Saviour's  indignation  that  impelled 
him  to  make  this  tremendous  arraignment.  It  is  God's 
judgment  against  hypocrisy  in  every  time  that  should 
strike  terror  unto  all  our  hearts  and  constrain  us  to  be 
what  we  would  seem  to  be. 

From  this  dark  picture,  though  drawn  by  a  master 
hand,  we  gladly  turn  away.  Let  us  look  upon 
another  in  perfect  contrast  with  it  portrayed  by  the  Spirit 
in  the  Gospels,  Jesus  was  God's  own  embodiment  of  truth 
—  the  only  perfectly  guileless  man.  Peter,  after  most 
intimate  fellowship  for  years,  wrote  of  him  — "  Who 
knew  no  sin,  neither  was  guile  found  in  his  mouth." 
Whether  in  the  synagogue  or  in  the  solitude  of  the 
mountain  his  prayers  were  but  the  natural  overflow  of 
his  earnest,  loving  soul.  He  had  no  worldly  policy  and 
cared  not  to  be  a  King.  He  rebuked  Peter  when  he 
sought  to  dissuade  him  from  his  self-sacrificing  course. 
What  but  love  —  true,  intense,  absorbing  love  —  can  ex- 
plain his  humble  life  of  toil  and  self-denial  and  bene- 
ficence. What  a  striking  illustration  of  his  consuming 
zeal  have  we  in  his  driving  the  money-changers  from  the 
temple.  His  character  gave  momentum  to  his  words  and 
acts  or  he  could  not  have  done  it.  No  hollow  eye- 
servant  could  have  made  the  impious  and  avaricious  Jews 
quail  with  nothing  in  his  hand  but  a  scourge  of  small 
cords. 

When  this  man  was  brought  before  the  high  priest  and 


Truth  in  the  Inward  Parts  103 

questioned  concerning  his  disciples  and  his  doctrines,  what 
did  he  say?  Did  he  shrink  from  the  scrutiny  of  his  past 
life?  Did  he  fear  the  disclosure  of  some  hidden  shame? 
Did  he  defiantly  bid  them  hunt  him  to  his  lair?  In  the 
most  candid,  straightforward  way  he  answers  — "  I 
spake  openly  to  the  world ;  I  ever  taught  in  the  synagogue 
and  in  the  temple  whither  the  Jews  always  resort;  and 
in  secret  have  I  said  nothing.  Why  askest  thou  me? 
ask  them  which  heard  me  what  I  have  said  unto  them; 
behold,  they  know  what  I  said."  Noble,  inspiring  words, 
worthy  to  guide  the  life  of  any  young  man  or  woman  who 
wishes  to  live  so  as  to  be  able  to  look  the  world  in  the 
face  and  not  fear. 

Young  ladies  and  gentlemen  of  the  class  of  1893. 
What  shall  I  say  to  you?  Desire  for  yourself,  what  God 
desires  for  you.  God  desires  truth  in  the  inward  parts 
—  therefore  be  true,  be  true.  Let  truth  be  the  law  of 
your  mind  —  of  your  speech  —  of  your  conduct  —  of 
your  life-work.  Sir  Frederick  Leighton,  the  President 
of  the  Royal  Academy  of  Art  in  London,  recently  ad- 
dressed a  body  of  art-students  to  whom  he  gave  this  ad- 
vice — "  I  would  beg  you  to  keep  ever  before  your  eyes 
the  vital  truth  that  sincerity  is  the  well-spring  of  all  last- 
ing achievement  and  that  no  good  thing  ever  took  root 
in  untruth  or  in  self-deception."  Sincerity  is  the  well- 
spring  of  achievement  in  art  and  in  every  good  enterprise. 
The  soul  of  art  is  the  soul  of  the  artist.  The  soul  of 
every  good  work  is  the  soul  of  those  who  project  and 
carry  it  forward.  Put  your  very  soul  into  whatsoever 
you  undertake  and  you  must  succeed. 

Let  me  urge  upon  you  to  choose  a  work  worthy  of  you 
and  then  give  yourself  to  it. 

First  of  all,  you  mean  to  be  a  Christian.  To  the  ap- 
peal of  the  Master,  "  Son,  daughter,  give  thy  heart,"  you 
have  responded  — "  My  Lord  and  my  God.  I  give  my- 
self to  thee."     Be  loyal  to  this  first  and  best  of  masters 


104  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

wherever  you  go.  Whatever  prosperity  you  have  in  other 
lines  let  him  share  it  with  you.  Your  whole  life  will  be 
ennobled  by  the  consciousness  of  such  a  partnership. 

Then  follow  him  whithersoever  he  may  lead  you.  It 
may  be  unto  the  thickest  of  the  conflict,  where  great 
principles  of  right  and  truth  contend  for  the  mastery 
over  the  powers  of  darkness.  But  fear  not.  The  only 
success  worth  having  will  be  yours.  Some  righteous 
cause  will  be  nearer  its  triumph  by  reason  of  your  life. 
"  In  all  battles,"  says  Carlyle,  "  if  you  await  the  issue 
each  fighter  has  prospered  according  to  his  right.  His 
right  and  his  might,  at  the  close  of  the  account  were  one 
and  the  same."  Living  thus  an  earnest  life  you  will 
please  God  who  desires  truth  in  the  inward  parts.  You 
will  achieve  a  success  that  will  not  disappoint  you. 
When  the  echoes  of  men's  applause  die  away  you  will 
still  have  something  left.  You  can  cross  the  threshold  of 
eternity  with  a  pleasing  glance  backward  over  a  life  well 
spent  and  a  look  forward  to  a  land  untried,  yet  full  of 
hope,  where  the  rewards  of  faithful  service  beckon  to 
their  enjoyment.  "  Faithful  over  a  few  things,"  says 
the  Master  whom  we  serve,  "  I  will  make  thee  ruler  over 
many  things." 


SERMON  IX,  1894 

THE    CHRISTIAN    RACE 

/  therefore  so  run  not  as  uncertainty :  so  fight  I  not  as  one  that 
beateth  the  air. —  /  Cor.  g:  26. 

GRAMMAR,  music  and  gymnastics  were  the  chief 
branches  of  education  among  the  Greeks.  Athletics 
has  perhaps  a  more  robust  and  a  wider  meaning  in  our 
day  than  gymnastics.  It  stands  for  physical  culture  in 
its  manlier  forms  and  bids  fair,  as  with  the  Greeks,  to 
absorb  a  third  of  the  energies  of  the  schools.  Is  it  neces- 
sary that  we  become  wildly  athletic  in  order  that  we 
may  escape  the  opposite  extreme  of  becoming  ascetic? 
Is  it  necessary  either  to  despise  the  body  or  to  enthrone 
it?  To  neglect  it  is  to  trifle  with  health  and  health  is 
an  essential  condition  of  mental  or  even  spiritual  vigor. 
On  the  other  hand,  to  make  it  supreme  is  to  ignore  the 
divine  arrangement  by  which  it  is  made  subservient  to 
the  soul  which  it  embodies.  Let  it  be  developed  and 
strengthened  —  not  that  it  may  lord  it  over  man's  nobler 
nature  —  but  that  it  may  furnish  it  with  a  worthier  serv- 
ice. If  out  of  our  running  and  jumping,  our  swinging 
and  vaulting,  our  contests  of  skill  and  strength,  there 
come  not  only  stronger  bodies  but  sturdier  manhood, 
purer,  truer,  steadier,  readier  men  for  the  real  conflicts 
of  life,  athletics  will  pass  the  final  judgment  of  good  men 
and  be  marked  —  approved.  But  if  it  runs  riot  and  pays 
little  heed  to  any  code  of  morals  that  threatens  to  inter- 
fere with  present  success,  if  it  develops  brutality  and  boor- 
ishness  rather  than  genuine  manliness  it  will  pass  under 
just  condemnation.     There  is  undoubtedly  a  great  good 

105 


106  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

here.  The  only  question  is  whether  it  shall  be  swallowed 
up  by  a  greater  evil.  I  believe  that  it  will  not  because 
I  have  faith  that  the  sober  judgment  of  our  young  men 
will  ultimately  prevail  and  that  in  it  righteousness  will 
outweigh  glory  —  that  what  ought  to  be  will  seem  more 
important  than  what  can  be  or  must  be.  Nay,  wrong  will 
be  the  only  impossibility  and  righteousness  the  only  neces- 
sity. I  look  for  flowers  of  virtue  as  well  as  of  health 
to  grow  upon  our  athletic  field. 

Paul  made  use  of  the  Isthmian  games,  their  races  and 
contests  —  to  illustrate  the  Christian  life.  With  equal 
aptness  we  might  turn  to  spiritual  account  the  athletic 
exercises  of  the  present  time. 

A  race  in  our  age  is  much  the  same  as  when  Corinthian 
racers  sped  to  the  goal  in  Paul's  day,  or  when  Herod  the 
Great  was  an  interested  witness  and  patron  of  the 
Olympian  sports  of  Jerusalem  and  Caesarea.  There  is  the 
same  expectancy  at  the  start,  the  same  intensity  at  the 
finish ;  the  same  straining  of  nerve  and  muscle,  the  same 
pride  and  assurance  of  friends,  the  same  misery  of  blunder 
and  defeat,  the  same  joy  of  victory,  the  same  tumultuous 
enthusiasm  of  the  crowd  that  so  readily  veers  to  the 
winning  side. 

Any  contest,  physical  or  intellectual  in  stadium  or 
forum,  is  full  of  interest.  It  brings  every  faculty  and 
feeling  into  play.  Competitors  and  spectators  alike  run 
the  whole  gamut  of  the  soul's  emotions  —  anxious,  ex- 
pectant, despondent;  disappointed,  surprised,  elated,  fear- 
ing, hoping,  exulting.  Purposes  and  thoughts  chase  each 
other  rapidly  through  the  chambers  of  the  soul.  He  must 
be  stolid  indeed  who  can  participate  in,  or  even  watch, 
such  a  struggle  and  be  a  stranger  to  its  tense  and  varied 
experiences. 

Paul  imagines  the  Christian  encompassed  by  an  in- 
tensely interested  company  of  beholders  —  heroes  of  a 
similar  contest  of  faith  in  the  preceding  ages,  whose  names 
are  on  the  roll  of  honor  for  all  time  and  for  all  eternity, 


The  Christian  Race  107 

when  he  writes  to  the  Hebrews, — "  Seeing  we  also  are 
compassed  about  with  so  great  a  cloud  of  witness  —  let 
us  lay  aside  every  weight  and  the  sin  which  doth  so  easily 
beset  us  and  let  us  run  with  patience  the  race  that  is 
set  before  us."  And  when  he  writes  to  the  Philippians 
it  is  evident  that  the  spirit  of  the  racer  is  in  him  when 
he  draws  that  life-like  picture  in  a  single  sentence  — 
"  One  thing  I  do,  forgetting  the  things  that  are  behind 
and  stretching  forward  to  the  things  that  are  before,  I 
press  on  toward  the  goal  unto  the  prize  of  the  high  call- 
ing of  God  in  Jesus  Christ." 

So  in  this  section  he  imagines  himself  again  as  a  com- 
batant —  not  in  any  mimic  contest  for  a  fading  chaplet 
of  laurel,  but  in  the  real  contest  of  living  with  its  un- 
estimable  prizes  of  character  and  immortal  life.  With  a 
profound  sense  of  the  value  of  the  stake,  with  a  clear 
view  of  the  hindrances  to  be  overcome  he  spurs  himself 
to  the  effort — "I,  therefore,  so  run  not  as  uncertainly; 
so  fight  I  not  as  one  that  beateth  the  air."  In  speaking 
from  these  words,  consider 

I.  The  Christian  life  is  both  a  race  and  a  battle. 

It  is  no  very  remote  suggestion  of  these  figures  that  the 
Christian  life  is  a  manly  one.  There  is  in  it  spirit  and 
strength  —  courage  and  joy.  He  knows  better  than  any 
other  the  zest  of  living.  His  sources  of  enjoyment  are 
rich  and  perennial  and  leave  no  dregs  of  bitterness. 
When  he  gains  his  end  there  are  no  accusations  of  a 
guilty  conscience  or  sullied  honor  to  discount  his  joy. 
And  when  he  loses  there  are  unused  streams  of  satisfac- 
tion that  pour  in  upon  him  through  divine  promises  whose 
glad  meaning  first  reveals  itself  when  the  earthly  springs 
begin  to  fail.  If  we  welcome  the  champion  with  cheers 
and  shouts  to  the  field  of  sport  where  he  contends  for  the 
preeminence  let  us  give  greetings  to  the  young  man  or 
woman  who  enters  to  run  the  way  of  God's  command- 
ments or  to  fight  the  good  fight  of  faith.  It  is  the  noblest 
engagement  any  one  of  you  will  ever  enter  upon  and  right 


108  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

nobly  should  you  fulfill  it.  In  this  higher  sphere  of 
morals  and  religion  be  a  hero  in  the  strife. 

I.  The  Christian  race  is  not  competitive  but  coopera- 
tive. It  is  not  true  in  it  that  what  one  wins  another 
loses.     The  prize  is  within  the  reach  of  all  who  run  well. 

In  the  race  of  a  mere  worldly  life  how  keen  is  the 
struggle  and  sometimes  how  direful  the  effect!  Political 
economists  of  a  previous  generation  made  competition  the 
very  center  of  their  system.  It  seemed  to  them  the  open 
sesame  of  social  well-being.  Hands  off!  was  their  cry, 
while  they  encouraged  the  strife  of  numberless  com- 
petitors for  the  prizes  society  held  in  its  keeping.  The 
sole  function  of  government  was  to  secure  fair  play  while 
the  war  was  raging.  Who  does  not  know  something  of 
the  remorselessness  of  the  contest,  how  the  weak  suc- 
cumbs to  the  strong,  how  the  strong  falls  with  a  crash 
like  a  mighty  oak  by  the  stroke  of  the  strongest.  And 
though  a  kindlier  school  of  economies  has  risen  that  places 
man's  well-being  in  the  centre,  though  it  shrinks  not 
back  when  its  ethical  demands  are  contemptuously  dis- 
missed as  paternalism,  though  it  is  doing  something  to 
modify  social  conditions,  to  care  for  the  weak  as  well  as 
give  opportunity  to  the  strong,  the  competitive  character 
of  life  is  yet  manifest.  "  One  receiveth  the  prize  " — 
the  few  are  achieving  success  and  many  fail.  There  must 
be  pain  for  a  noble  soul  when  his  achievement  means 
another's  downfall.  On  the  other  hand,  there  is  added 
pleasure  when  his  success  helps  his  fellow  to  victory. 
How  delightful  the  fact  that  Christian  life  is  thus  co- 
operative. Let  me  lay  aside  every  weight  and  run  the 
Christian  race  for  thereby  I  help  instead  of  hinder  my 
companions.  As  the  prancing  steeds  shorten  the  way  for 
each  other  and  speed  away  under  the  spur  of  each  other's 
pace,  so  let  me  be  a  spur  to  my  yokefellow  and  receive 
a  similar  incitement  in  return.  Let  there  be  a  conscious 
effort  to  be  mutually  helpful.  Let  them  that  fear  the 
Lord  speak  often  one  to  another  —  let  them  consider  one 


The  Christian  Race  109 

another  to  provoke  unto  love  and  good  works.  But 
whether  there  be  conscious  purpose  or  not  there  will  be 
quickening  to  others  from  every  worthy  life.  He  who 
adds  to  his  own  faith,  virtue,  temperance  or  godliness, 
not  only  does  not  subtract  from  the  graces  of  others  but 
makes  it  easier  for  them  to  add  to  them.  He  who  strives 
after  perfection  contributes  to  the  perfection  of  his 
brethren.  With  hand  in  hand  and  heart  to  heart  we 
may  all  press  on  toward  the  goal  with  the  inspiring 
thought  that  the  spiritual  progress  of  one  will  further 
the  progress  of  every  other.  Nay  more,  our  own  progress 
will  be  retarded  if  we  do  not  help  those  by  our  side. 
It  is  laid  upon  us  as  an  obligation  that  we  love  one  an- 
other —  that  no  man  seek  his  own  but  each  his  neighbor's 
good  —  that  we  bear  one  another's  burdens  and  so  fulfil 
the  law  of  Christ. 

2.  The  Christian  race  may  be  —  ought  to  be  accelera- 
tive  from  the  beginning  to  the  end.  In  it  no  slackness 
of  speed  will  husband  strength  for  a  critical  moment. 
No  spurt  at  the  close  can  make  up  for  the  loss  of  the 
laggard  along  the  way.  "  The  path  of  the  just  is  as  the 
shining  light  that  shineth  more  and  more  into  the  perfect 
day"  (Job  17:9). 

Christian  life  is  no  mere  dash  —  a  paroxysm  quickly 
over,  but  a  sustained  effort  to  achieve  something  worthy. 
"  Patient  continuance  in  well-doing,"  is  a  good  statement 
of  it.     Not  a  single  virtue  is  all  at  once  what  it  may  be. 

Do  you  lament  the  weakness  of  your  faith?  It  may 
be  stronger.  Keep  on  believing  and  praying,  using  the 
faith  you  have  and  seeking  for  the  spirit's  bracing  energy 
to  increase  its  power.  "  Lord,  I  believe,  help  thou  my 
unbelief."  Do  you  grieve  that  so  often  you  do  not  have 
yourself  well  in  hand,  that  passion  runs  riot  and  reason 
is  powerless,  that  feelings  banish  faith  and  wisdom  and 
hope.  Is  there  a  little  member  that  sets  the  world  on 
fire  all  around  you,  that  offends  with  words  that  are 
as  darts  and  arrows?     Though  you  often  trip  and  fall, 


IIO  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

be  not  discouraged.  Arise  and  renew  your  efforts. 
Persevere  in  the  race  for  self-mastery  and  with  help  of 
grace  you  will  reach  the  goal  of  victory. 

Or  is  there  a  deeper  evil  still  that  distresses  you?  Is 
there  found  bubbling  up  from  the  heart  the  dregs  of 
malice  or  pride,  of  insincerity  or  impurity?  Does  it 
seem  to  you  that  such  a  bitter  fountain  will  never  be 
made  to  send  forth  sweet  waters?  Yield  not  to  cowardly 
thoughts  like  these.  Listen  to  the  voice  of  God  — 
"  Cleanse  yourselves  from  all  filthiness  of  the  flesh  and 
spirit  perfecting  holiness  in  the  fear  of  God  " ;  what- 
ever virtue  you  lack,  whatever  grace  you  desire,  do  not 
begrudge  it  time  and  room  for  its  full  development.  It 
may  indeed  spring  into  sudden  strength  and  beauty  but 
more  probably  it  will  need  to  be  rocked  by  the  winds 
of  temptation  and  nourished  by  the  rich  soil  of  truth  and 
moistened  with  dews  of  heavenly  grace.  Time  and 
prayer,  purpose  and  endeavor  must  contribute  to  its 
growth.  Be  not  weary  in  well-doing,  for  in  due  season 
ye  shall  reap  if  you  fail  not  —  reap  results  of  Christian 
character  here  and  heavenly  reward  hereafter.  Says  our 
Master — "  If  ye  continue  in  my  word,  then  are  ye  my 
disciples,  and  ye  shall  know  the  truth  and  the  truth  shall 
make  you  free." 

3.  The  Christian  life  is  not  only  a  race  but  a  battle. 
The  chief  additional  suggestion  of  this  metaphor  is  the 
resistance  to  the  Christian  life.  If  the  race  is  not  com- 
petitive as  among  themselves,  there  are  common  enemies 
that  resist  their  onward  march.  While  brethren  stand 
shoulder  to  shoulder  as  they  advance,  these  enemies  that 
confront  them  must  be  overcome. 

The  scene  of  conflict  may  be  the  world.  On  its  broad 
field  the  forces  of  good  and  evil  meet  in  terrible  struggle. 
Sometimes  right  is  on  the  scaffold ;  sometimes  wrong  is  on 
the  throne.  Sometimes  the  cause  of  God  seems  crushed 
and  broken.  And  when  it  makes  headway  it  is  often 
through  storm  of  shot  and  shell  that  the  vantage  ground 


The  Christian  Race  III 

is  reached.  Yet  in  spite  of  disaster  and  defeat  and  fierce 
opposition,  in  the  long  ages  the  cause  of  truth  and  right 
is  triumphant.  The  "  eternal  years  of  God,"  belong  to 
it. 

Speak  History  —  who  are  life's  victors? 

Unroll  thy  long  annals  and  say 

Are  they  those  whom  the  world  called  victors,  who  won 

the  success  of  a  day? 
The    martyrs    or    Nero?     The    Spartans    who    fell    at 

Thermopylae's  tryst, 
Or  the  Persians  and  Xerxes?     His  Judges  or  Socrates? 

Pilate  or  Christ? 

The  scene  of  conflict  may  be  a  narroiu  field.  It  may 
rage  within  a  single  human  soul  and  this  is  clearly  the 
meaning  here.  Paul  tells  here  of  his  own  inner  life  and 
characterizes  it  as  a  tremendous  battle.  They  who  re- 
gard the  Christian  life  as  a  holiday  affair  did  not  learn 
about  it  from  Paul.  In  its  complete  outworking  he  con- 
sidered it  a  Herculean  task  to  which  he  spurred  himself 
by  every  motive  of  love  and  ambition,  of  hope  and  fear, 
Are  you  a  Christian?  You  answer,  yes.  But  what  do 
you  mean  by  your  answer?  Do  you  mean  only  that 
you  have  subscribed  your  name  unto  the  Lord?  That 
is  worth  doing  and  ought  not  to  be  undervalued.  Do 
you  mean  that  you  sit  regularly  in  your  comfortable  pew 
on  the  Sabbath?  This  too  is  well.  But  true  religion 
means  more  than  this.  Do  you  not  know  that  it  means 
compliance,  not  with  the  world  but  with  the  will  of 
Christ  —  a  hand  to  hand  struggle  with  the  evil  about 
you  wherever  you  are  —  resistance  to  the  devil  and  your 
own  evil  heart?  It  means  that  you  "Quit  your  mean- 
ness " — meanness  to  your  fellow  men  and  meanness  to 
your  Maker.  When  one  was  asked  — "  Who  is  the  elder 
brother  in  the  parable  of  the  Prodigal  Son  ?  "  he  slowly 
replied  — "  myself  " —  and  then  told  of  some  envious  feel- 


112  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

ings  he  was  obliged  to  suppress  on  hearing  of  another's 
spiritual  prosperity.  It  was  a  tender  conscience  that  ap- 
peared in  his  reply  rather  than  unusual  wickedness.  He 
who  has  never  yet  been  ashamed  in  his  own  presence 
and  God's,  though  no  ear  of  man  has  heard,  nor  eye  of 
man  has  seen  has  scarcely  commenced  the  Christian  war- 
fare. 

The  Christian  life  is  simple  in  its  beginning  but  it  is 
unceasing  in  its  demands.  "  Patient  continuance  in  well- 
doing," is  no  easy  thing.  The  world  is  lying  in  wait  to 
take  us  captive,  the  evil  one  threateningly  crosses  our  path 
and  a  treacherous  heart  needs  continual  watching.  He 
who  would  be  loyal  to  God  in  the  world  and  be  cm  ned 
victor  at  the  last,  must  work  out  his  salvation  with  fear 
and  trembling  —  must  fight  the  good  fight  of  faith  and 
lay  hold  on  eternal  life.  What  a  bugle-blast  is  that  of 
Paul,  urging  us  to  heroic  effort — "  Be  strong  in  the  Lord 
and  in  the  power  of  his  might.  Put  on  the  whole  armor 
of  God  that  ye  may  be  able  to  stand  against  the  wiles  of 
the  devil,  for  our  wrestling  is  not  against  flesh  and  blood, 
but  against  the  principalities,  against  the  powers,  against 
the  world-rulers  of  this  darkness,  against  the  spiritual 
hosts  of  wickedness  in  the  heavenly  places. 

"  Wherefore  take  up  the  whole  armor  of  God  that  ye 
may  be  able  to  withstand  in  the  evil  day  and  having  done 
all  to  stand." 

II.  Some  conditions  of  success  in  the  race  and  battle 
of  Christian  life.  They  are  much  the  same  as  in  similar 
contest  in  the  natural  sphere. 

i.  He  who  would  be  successful  must  be  a  man  of  in- 
telligent purpose  —  who  knows  what  he  means  to  do  and 
means  to  do  what  he  knows.  He  must  have  some  fixed 
principles  for  his  guidance.  He  runs  "  not  as  uncer- 
tainly." 

There  are  many  things  we  do  not  know.  Like 
Abraham  we  go  forth  not  knowing  whither.  There  is 
a  providence  that  "  shapes  our  ends,  rough-hew  them  how 


The  Christian  Race  1 13 

we  will."  We  are  every  one  of  us  voyaging  under  sealed 
orders  and  know  not  at  what  ports  we  will  touch.  New- 
man's beautiful  hymn  makes  the  trusting  soul  say  amid 
the  "  encircling  gloom  " — "  Lead  thou  me  on.  Keep 
thou  my  feet :  I  do  not  ask  to  see  the  distant  scene, —  one 
step  enough  for  me." 

I  may  not  know  where  I  am  to  labor,  nor  what  God 
wills  concerning  me.  I  may  find  truest  happiness  in  wait- 
ing upon  God  day  by  day  for  orders. 

But  concerning  some  things  God's  will  has  been  already 
revealed.  Concerning  some  things  we  must  know  if  we 
would  be  strong.  First  of  all  there  must  be  no  uncer- 
tainty concerning  our  relation  to  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
Is  He  the  Saviour  of  the  world?  Is  He  higher  than  the 
highest  of  God's  creatures?  —  the  Son  of  God,  himself 
God  ?  Did  he  rise  again  from  the  dead  on  the  third  day 
according  to  the  Scriptures?  Is  his  religion  the  light 
and  life  of  our  souls  and  do  we  hang  all  our  hopes  for 
eternity  upon  it?  If  there  be  any  lurking  doubt  in  our 
minds  concerning  these  points,  there  is  a  worm  at  the  root 
of  our  piety  that  will  either  kill  it  or  give  it  a  sickly  life 
and  hue. 

Half-heartedness  is  due  in  many  instances  to  uncon- 
scious lack  of  conviction.  But  when  the  things  of  Christ 
are  as  real  to  us  as  the  things  of  daily  life,  when  we  can 
say  with  Paul  — "  I  know  whom  I  have  believed  and  am 
persuaded  that  he  is  able  to  keep  that  which  I  have  com- 
mitted unto  him  against  that  day,"  then  we  can  serve 
Christ  with  buoyancy  of  spirit  and  bounding  feet. 

The  Church  is  shorn  of  its  strength ;  its  very  life  is 
eaten  out  when  liberalism  and  levelism  in  religion  blur 
the  faith  of  its  members.  When  its  clear,  sharply  defined 
outline  fades  out  of  sight,  what  have  men  to  contend 
for? 

They  may  be  borne  along  by  the  Church's  remaining 
life  or  their  own  habit,  but  they  can  have  no  genuine 
interest  in  its  services  and  work.     Away  with  a  flabby, 


114  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

sentimental  theology  that  apologizes  for  its  own  existence 
and  praises  what  it  feebly  opposes,  that  places  Christ  not 
as  the  one  bright  and  regnant  star  in  the  whole  heavens, 
but  as  one  among  many,  including  him  in  a  brilliant 
constellation  along  with  Buddha  and  Confucius  and  Plato 
and  thus  robbing  him  of  his  unique  glory  as  God's  own 
Son  and  the  World's  Redeemer.  He  who  teaches  thus 
may  be  called  a  seer  or  an  advanced  thinker  or  an  erudite 
student  of  comparative  religion  but  his  Christianity  is 
too  diluted  to  be  of  much  use  to  him  or  to  those  who  sit 
at  his  feet. 

Let  him  who  enters  the  Christian  race  understand  what 
he  is  doing.  Let  the  essential  facts  and  distinctive  doc- 
trines of  Christianity  be  accepted  or  else  let  its  name  be 
abandoned. 

Further,  there  ought  to  be  no  uncertainty  concerning 
the  fundamental  principles  of  good  morals.  Here  also 
let  us  so  run  not  as  uncertainly. 

There  is  indeed  scarcely  any  difference  of  opinion 
among  men  in  regard  to  truth  and  justice,  honesty  and 
purity.  These  are  intuitions  of  the  soul  and  no  bias  of 
interest  can  altogether  prevent  their  recognition.  There 
may  however  be  clearness  of  view  without  purpose  — 
sentiment  without  principle.  Uncertainty  may  arise  in 
the  will  as  well  as  in  the  thoughts.  Will  he  stand  to 
his  thoughts?  —  is  the  question.  Says  Robertson — "If 
we  look  at  it  deeply,  it  is  will  that  makes  the  difference 
between  man  and  man  —  not  knowledge,  not  opinions, 
not  devoutness,  not  feeling,  but  will  —  the  power  to  be." 
Men  can  grow  eloquent  in  defense  of  a  virtue  and  then 
sacrifice  it  for  a  consideration.  Yea,  they  are  honestly 
grieved  when  it  is  slain  in  the  streets,  and  yet  slay  it  them- 
selves under  stress  of  a  situation.  Several  of  our  greatest 
men  of  a  past  generation,  giants  in  intellect  like  Webster 
and  Chase,  who  hated  slavery  with  sincere  hatred,  receded 
from  their  high  positions  that  they  might  conciliate  the 
slave  power  and  its  friends  and  reach  the  chief  magistracy 


The  Christian  Race  115 

of  the  nation.  So  are  men  today  bowing  to  the  behests 
of  the  liquor  power,  though  in  heart  they  despise  it,  lest 
they  lose  some  worldly  ambition  in  politics  or  trade.  So 
are  we  all  in  danger  of  loosing  our  hold  on  righteousness 
from  considerations  that  are  selfish.  There  is  need  of 
settled  purpose  concerning  these  things  or  we  will  often 
be  overborne  by  temptation.  Settle  it  in  your  very  soul 
—  I  must  be  always  honest  —  I  must  be  true  —  I  must  be 
pure.  What  a  model  young  man  was  Joseph!  Tempta- 
tion fell  back  from  him  like  the  stormy  waves  at  the  feet 
of  Gibraltar.  God  was  with  him  as  the  rock  of  his 
strength.  He  would  not  —  could  not  —  abuse  the  con- 
fidence of  his  earthly  master  nor  disobey  the  law  of  his 
God.  "  How  can  I  do  this  wickedness  and  sin  against 
God?" 

There  was  no  uncertainty  about  Ruth  when  she  took 
her  place  by  the  side  of  Naomi  and  of  God.  There  was 
none  about  Daniel  when,  contrary  to  the  King's  interdict, 
with  windows  open  he  kneeled  upon  his  knees  three  times 
a  day  and  prayed  and  gave  thanks  unto  God."  There 
was  no  uncertainty  about  Esther  when  forgetful  of  her 
own  ease  and  safety,  she  replied  to  Mordecai  — "  I  will 
go  in  unto  the  King  and  if  I  perish  I  perish."  There 
was  none  about  Nehemiah  when  to  his  wily  enemies  who 
sought  to  bring  him  down  to  their  level,  he  said  — "  I  am 
doing  a  great  work  and  I  cannot  come  down." 

My  young  friends,  follow  the  example  of  men  and 
women  such  as  these.  Be  upright,  reliable,  heroic  men 
and  women  and  you  will  be  trusted  by  those  who  know 
you  best  and  successfully  run  the  race  that  is  set  before 
you. 

2.  A  second  condition  of  success  in  the  Christian  life  is 
skill.  There  is  an  art  of  Christian  living.  "  Add  to  your 
faith,  virtue  and  to  virtue,  knowledge," —  knowledge  that 
is  due  to  experience,  that  discriminates  between  good  and 
evil  in  the  entangled  circumstances  of  life  with  the 
promptness  that  results  from  practice. 


Il6  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

Thrice  blest  is  he  to  whom  is  given 
The  instinct  that  can  tell 
That  God  is  in  the  field  when  He 
Is  most  invisible. 

Blest  too  is  he  who  can  divine 
Where  real  right  doth  lie 
And  dares  to  take  the  side  that  seems 
Wrong  to  man's  blinded  eye. 

However  excellent  one's  purpose,  there  is  need  of  train- 
ing in  right  ways.  "  So  fight  I  not  as  one  that  beateth 
the  air,"  says  Paul  —  not  with  aimless,  ineffectual  strokes 
but  with  the  skill  of  a  trained  boxer. 

There  is  a  kind  of  training  that  is  general.  Its  aim  is 
to  build  up  spiritual  strength  and  health.  The  Church 
with  all  its  appliances  and  opportunities  for  religious  in- 
struction and  activity  is  a  sort  of  spiritual  gymnasium. 
In  it  we  become  familiar  with  the  Christian  weapons  and 
warfare.  We  learn  how  to  believe  and  to  love,  how 
to  pray  and  to  labor,  how  to  be  silent  and  to  speak,  how 
to  endure  and  to  dare.  We  learn  above  all  the  value  of 
the  sword  of  the  Spirit,  which  like  the  flaming  sword 
that  kept  the  way  of  the  tree  of  life  turns  every  way  to 
guard  the  soul  of  the  believer.  He  who  neglects  this 
general  discipline  is  not  likely  to  be  ready  for  the  sus- 
tained strain  of  the  battle  of  life. 

Special  training  is  however  equally  valuable.  It  is  in 
the  practice  of  specific  virtues  that  skill  and  certainty  are 
gained  in  their  exercise.  There  is  a  habit  of  conscientious 
living  that  makes  it  comparatively  easy  to  do  right. 
Habits  there  will  be  and  youth  is  the  seed-time  of  habits, 
either  good  or  bad.  The  only  question  is  —  What  will 
your  habit  be?  What  grooves  are  you  cutting  into  your 
imagination  ?  What  grip  of  will  are  you  getting  on  your 
appetites  and  passions?  What  is  the  quality  of  the  emo- 
tions you  are  cherishing  unto  dominance? 


The  Christian  Race  117 

You  have,  may  be,  an  ideal  of  life  that  sometime  you 
wish  to  realize.  But  whatever  your  ideal,  it  is  your 
present  action  that  is  determining  the  future. 

Sow  truth  if  thou  the  truth  wouldst  reap 
Who  sow  the  false  shall  reap  the  vain ; 
Erect  and  sound  thy  conscience  keep 
From  hollow  words  and  deeds  refrain. 

bow  love  and  taste  its  fruitage  pure, 
Sow  peace  and  reap  its  harvests  bright, 
Sow  sunbeams  on  the  rock  and  moor, 
And  find  a  harvest-home  of  light. 

There  was  no  beating  of  the  air  when  Jesus  as  the 
champion  of  redeemed  humanity  resisted  Satan's  attack. 
He  knew  how  to  handle  the  sword  of  the  Spirit  and  with 
repeated  strokes  —  It  is  written!  —  It  is  written!  —  It 
is  written!  sent  him  reeling  to  the  pit  whence  he  came. 
The  final  verdict  of  history  —  even  his  rejecters  agreeing 
thereto  —  accords  with  that  of  Pilate — "  I  find  no  fault 
in  this  man."  He  is  the  one  faultless  man  of  all  the  ages 
—  the  perfect  example  of  holy  living.  Follow  him  and 
you  will  become  skilled  in  battle  and  gain  the  victory  of 
those  who  overcome  by  faith  and  by  the  word  of  God. 

3.  A  third  essential  to  success  is  enthusiasm.  There 
must  be  some  warmth  of  interest  if  we  would  succeed  in 
any  engagement.  You  can  hardly  read  these  words  of 
Paul  without  feeling  the  fire  that  burned  within  his 
breast.  It  kindles  your  spirit  as  you  touch  his  and  you 
are  ready  to  say — "I  must  gird  myself  for  a  worthier 
life." 

The  source  and  substance  of  a  genuine  enthusiasm  is 
love.  If  we  fall  in  love  with  God's  laws  it  will  be  easy 
to  obey  them.  "  O  how  I  love  thy  law,"  sings  the 
Psalmist,  "  It  is  my  meditation  all  the  day."  There  were 
both  patriotism  and  Christian  zeal  —  love  of  country  and 


Ii8  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

love  of  Christ  and  his  cause  in  the  exclamation  of  Knox  — 
"Give  me  Scotland  or  I  die!"  It  was  love  that  sent 
Carey  a  century  ago  to  hard  sendee  in  the  indigo  factories 
of  India.  Why  did  Livingston  and  Hannington  and 
Mackay  leave  the  comforts  and  refinements  of  their  native 
land  and  brave  the  dangers  of  a  death-laden  climate  and 
of  wild  beasts  and  savage  men  ?  Love  did  it  —  love  for 
the  souls  of  men. 

Why  did  Juliet  Henshaw  the  trained  nurse  volunteer 
to  go  to  Swinburne  Island  in  the  cholera  panic  two  years 
ago?  In  spite  of  plain  forewarning  of  the  risk,  without 
bravado,  without  fear,  moved  by  the  thought  that  some- 
one must  go  and  that  her  training  made  it  possible  for 
her  to  be  serviceable  she  went  to  care  for  the  sick  and 
dying.  Week  after  week  she  continued  with  three  hours' 
rest  out  of  twenty-four,  with  strength  lessening  to  do  the 
humble,  disagreeable  work  that  was  required.  "  She  in- 
spired the  doctors  with  admiration,  the  sick  people  with 
hope  and  the  other  nurses  with  resolution."  She  was 
a  constant  enthusiastic  servant  of  humanity  because  she 
had  a  heart  full  of  love  for  humanity. 

There  was  one  in  your  own  midst,  whose  devotion  to  a 
deformed  sister  was  as  heroic  and  admirable  as  that  of 
any  I  have  mentioned.  Through  long  years,  with  perfect 
good  cheer,  with  no  complaint  on  the  lips,  with  no  burden 
on  the  heart,  she  gave  the  needed  service  till  her  own 
strength  failed  in  martyrdom  to  the  welfare  of  another 
and  she  went  home  to  a  well-earned  rest.  It  was  love  did 
it. 

Love  to  Christ  alone  can  constrain  us  to  run  well  the 
Christian  race.  Let  us  rally  around  the  Captain  of  our 
salvation  with  a  more  inspiring  enthusiasm.  Let  us  sup- 
port his  cause  with  loyal  affection.  Let  Hope  add  bright- 
ness to  the  enthusiasm  love  kindles.  When  some  one  said 
to  Leonidas  — "  The  enemy  is  near  us,"  he  rejoined  with- 
out dismay,  as  if  eager  for  the  fray  — "  And  we  are  near 


The  Christian  Race  1 19 

the  enemy."  'Tis  as  if  he  said  —  We  are  Spartans  — 
'Tis  the  enemy  should  be  in  dread. 

Would  that  the  name  of  Christian  might  wield  such 
magic  power  over  all  of  us  who  bear  it  that  with  more 
than  Spartan  heroism  we  might  resist  the  devil  and  all 
our  spiritual  foes.  And  when  at  last  we  stand  entrenched 
on  the  heights  of  assured  victory  may  it  be  ours  to  say 
as  we  look  back  — "  O  my  soul  thou  hast  trodden  down 
strength." 

Members  of  the  class  of  1894,  you  all  acknowledge 
the  divine  origin  of  the  religion  of  Jesus.  Nearly  all  of 
you  have  identified  yourselves  with  his  cause.  You  have 
entered  for  the  Christian  race,  you  have  enlisted  as 
soldiers  of  the  cross.  Do  you  mean  to  make  a  success  of 
it?  Do  you  find  within  you  the  conditions  of  a  success- 
ful Christian  life? 

Have  you  formed  a  thoughtful  purpose  to  follow 
Christ?  Are  you  now  living  in  habitual  obedience  to  his 
will?  Have  you  an  abiding  glowing  interest  in  all  that 
contributes  to  your  own  right  living  and  the  glory  of 
your  Master?  Can  you  say  —  will  you  not  say  with  all 
earnestness,  henceforth  — "  I  therefore  so  run  not  as  un- 
certainly ;  so  fight  I  not  as  one  that  beateth  the  air." 

Yourselves  being  judges,  this  is  the  chief  thing.  You 
may  be  in  doubt  about  your  profession  or  occupation 
and  have  good  reason  for  your  questioning.  But  you 
can  have  none  for  indecision  here.  I  care  not  what  line 
you  pursue,  if  you  take  a  warm  Christian  heart  along  with 
you,  jrou  will  be  a  blessing  to  the  world.  My  sincerest 
wish  for  every  one  of  you  has  been  and  is  that  you  may 
so  learn  Christ  here  that  he  will  be  a  power  in  your  lives 
in  all  the  future.  Let  your  signature  to  Christ's  cause 
have  your  own  heart's  blood  in  it,  your  consecrated  will. 
Sign !  but  sign  with  firm  faith,  with  resolution,  with  af- 
fection and  though  the  race  is  not  to  the  swift,  nor  the 
battle  to  the  strong,  you  will  reach  the  goal  at  last,  con- 


120  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

querors  and  more  than  conquerors  through  him  that  loved 
us. 

Everyone  of  you,  perhaps,  is  building  a  castle  in  your 
mind  concerning  this  present  life.  I  would  not  check 
your  fondest  hopes  of  earthly  happiness,  your  aspirations 
after  greatness,  goodness,  or  wealth.  But  there  is  a  beyond 
and  there  is  a  motive  from  it  to  the  best  life  that  ought 
to  be  pressed  upon  you  —  that  you  should  press  upon 
yourselves.  It  seems  to  come  from  far  and  therefore 
loses  something  of  its  power.  And  yet  it  may  be  near 
and  that  possibility  ought  to  be  considered.  I  look  back 
over  ten  years  here  and  can  put  my  finger  on  one  here 
and  there  of  the  graduates  of  this  period  that  has  gone 
already  and  sometimes  that  one  has  been  among  the 
strongest  of  the  class.  That  one  singled  out  by  divine 
providence  may  be  you.  Can  you  afford  to  ignore  such  a 
possibility? 

An  Arab  in  a  circle  of  jewellers  of  Basrah  related  this 
story  — "  Once  I  missed  my  way  in  the  desert  and  having 
no  provision  left  I  gave  myself  up  for  lost  —  when  I  hap- 
pened to  find  a  bag  of  pearls.  I  shall  never  forget  the 
relish  and  delight  that  I  felt  on  supposing  it  to  be  fried 
wheat,  nor  the  bitterness  and  despair  which  I  suffered 
on  discovering  that  the  bag  contained  pearls."  There  are 
pearls  of  earthly  good  that  may  measurably  satisfy  you 
now.  But  the  time  will  come  when  there  will  be  an  un- 
speakable hunger  for  the  heavenly  good.  If  you  have 
none  laid  up  in  store,  nor  within  each  reach  of  the  prac- 
tised hand  of  faith,  you  will  be  given  over  to  the  bitter- 
ness of  despair.  May  you  have  bread  in  your  basket  for 
your  journey  through  the  desert  land  and  on  the  other 
side  come  out  into  a  land  of  plenty!  May  the  Lord  pre- 
pare you  for  your  future,  whatever  that  future  be,  guide 
you  by  his  counsel  while  you  live  and  bring  you  to  his 
glory  without  one  missing! 


SERMON  X,  1895 

ALONE,    YET   NOT    ALONE 

Ye  shall  leave  me  alone  and  yet  I  am  not  alone  because  the 
Father  is  with  me. —  John  16:  32. 

THE  days  of  the  public  ministry  of  Jesus  are  ended. 
His  last  discourse  to  the  thirsty  multitudes  in  the 
temple  enclosure  has  been  preached.  The  last  effort  of 
love  to  save  the  wicked  city  from  its  impending  doom 
has  been  made  —  made,  alas!  in  vain.  Tomorrow  he  will 
be  crucified.  One  of  his  own  disciples  has  already  left 
the  company  of  the  rest  to  fulfil  his  wretched  bargain 
to  betray  his  Master  into  the  hands  of  his  enemies.  In 
a  few  hours  under  the  traitor's  guidance  a  multitude  will 
pursue  him  to  his  accustomed  retreat  in  Gethsemane  and 
the  succession  of  iniquitous  events  will  commence  that  will 
culminate  in  the  tragedy  of  the  cross. 

How  will  Jesus  spend  the  few  hours  that  remain? 
Read  the  chapters  that  make  up  the  wonderful  discourse 
from  which  our  text  is  taken  and  you  will  get  an  answer. 
He  is  with  the  company  that  journeyed  with  him  and 
shared  his  public  life.  In  the  upper  room  where  the  pass- 
over  was  observed  and  the  supper  instituted,  he  invites 
them  to  a  full  and  free  interchange  of  thought  and  feel- 
ing. He  calls  them  friends  and  assures  them  that  he 
withholds  nothing  from  them.  He  comforts  them  con- 
cerning his  departure  —  telling  them  whither  he  goes 
and  why.  "  I  go  to  prepare  a  place  for  you.  If  I  go 
not  away  the  Comforter  will  not  come  unto  you ;  but  if 
I  go,  I  will  send  Him  unto  you  ...  I  came  out  from 
the  Father  and  am  come  into  the  world ;  again  I  leave 
the  world  and  go  unto  the  Father."     He  reveals  to  them 

121 


122  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

the  secret  of  fruitful  holy  living  —  intimate  union  and 
communion  with  himself.  He  forewarns  them  of  the 
hour  of  sorrow  and  gives  them  some  foregleams  of  the 
chastened,  yet  satisfying  joys  that  his  presence  with  them 
will  impart. 

Under  the  influence  of  his  gracious  impressive  words 
the  faith  of  the  disciples  is  quickened  into  enthusiasm  and 
they  exclaim  — "  Now  are  we  sure  that  thou  knowest  all 
things,  and  needest  not  that  any  man  should  ask  thee; 
by  this  we  believe  that  thou  earnest  forth  from  God." 

But  Jesus  knew  them  better  than  they  knew  themselves 
and  disclosed  to  them  a  sequel  that  in  this  happy  hour  they 
would  never  have  suspected.  He  seems  to  arrest  their 
fervent  confession  and  summon  them  to  solemn  thought 
— "  Do  ye  now  believe  ?  Behold  the  hour  cometh,  yea, 
is  now  come,  that  ye  shall  be  scattered  every  man  to  his 
own  and  shall  leave  me  alone:  and  yet  I  am  not  alone, 
because  the  Father  is  with  me." 

Let  us  meditate  upon  the  situation  of  Jesus  here  de- 
clared —  alone  yet  not  alone  —  and  upon  a  possible 
counterpart  of  it  in  our  own  lives.  Let  us  not  so  separate 
him  from  ourselves  that  we  learn  no  lessons  from  his 
recorded  experience. 

There  was  indeed  a  cup  of  which  he  drank  whose 
bitterness  we  may  never  taste.  There  were  experiences 
that  wrung  his  soul  as  the  great  sin-bearer,  that  shield 
us  from  the  like  sense  of  the  divine  wrath.  He  trod  the 
wine-press  of  the  wrath  of  God  alone  and  of  the  people 
there  was  none  with  him.  The  solitariness  of  his  suffer- 
ings as  the  atoning  Redeemer  was  absolute  and  unique  — 
separated  from  all  others  in  kind  as  well  as  in  degree  — 
without  a  precedent  and  without  a  copy. 

But  I  like  to  think  of  Jesus  here  as  the  perfect  human 
friend  conferring  with  his  fellows.  For  years  together 
he  has  enjoyed  their  companionship,  partaking  of  their 
toils  and  travels  and  privations.  He  prized  their  human 
sympathy  and  is  grieved  by  the  anticipation  of  its  loss. 


Alone,  Yet  Not  Alone  123 

Those  words  spoken  in  Gethsemane  were  no  mere  pass- 
ing rebuke  of  the  disciples,  but  an  expression  of  the  deep- 
est feeling  of  the  Master  on  account  of  their  separation 
from  himself — "What!  could  you  not  watch  with  me 
one  hour?"  It  is  the  beginning  of  that  hour  of  which 
the  words  of  our  text  gave  a  timely  preview.  He  has 
passed  beyond  them  —  passed  within  a  veil  through  which 
their  eyes  cannot  pierce.  They  do  not  —  cannot  —  fol- 
low and  therefore  abandon  him  to  the  solitude  of  experi- 
ences they  cannot  share.  It  was  a  lonely  hour  with  Jesus 
when  Peter,  James  and  John  —  the  beloved  trio  —  and 
especially  when  John,  the  "  disciple  whom  Jesus  loved," 
could  not  enter  into  his  experiences,  could  not  keep  him 
within  their  wakeful  consciousness  for  so  brief  a  time, 
could  not  watch  with  him  one  hour. 

These  were  the  bitter  experiences  of  a  man  —  of  a  man 
bereft  of  friendly  offices  and  in  His  record  here  given 
we  may  find  an  example  and  illustration  of  a  human  life 
—  with  its  changing  conditions  and  its  abiding  compen- 
sations —  its  human  faithlessness  and  its  divine  unfailing 
fellowship. 

Let  us  consider 

I.  The  loneliness  of  a  soul. 

II.  The  companionship  that  relieves  it. 

To  be  alone  and  to  be  lonely  may  not  be  exactly  the 
same.  The  former  states  a  fact ;  the  latter,  an  experience. 
Yet  the  fact  and  the  experience  are  so  closely  related  that 
the  same  word  includes  both  meanings.  The  feeling  of 
loneliness  arises  ordinarily  from  the  fact  of  being  alone, 
and  so  loneliness,  while  having  originally  an  objective 
significance,  has  come  to  have  a  subjective  one  that  almost 
supplants  the  original. 

There  is  a  loneliness  of  simple  solitude  —  the  absence 
of  friend  or  fellow.  It  may  be  a  brief  retirement  to  some 
secluded  nook,  which  is  often  very  delightful.  Or  it  may 
be  the  prolonged,  unsought  solitude  of  the  interminable 
forest  or  the  sea-girt  isle  or  the  "  wide,  wide  sea  "  itself. 


124  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

It  has  lasted  long  and  the  end  is  not.  Hope,  that  springs 
eternal  in  the  human  breast,  grows  faint  through  many 
sickening  disappointments.  Imagination  plays  upon  the 
past  and  sights  and  sounds  are  seen  and  heard  within  the 
chambers  of  the  soul  that  never  fell  upon  the  eye  or 
trembled  on  the  outer  air. 

Tennyson  pictures  Enoch  Arden  sitting  — 

In  the  seaward-gazing  gorge 
A  shipwrecked  sailor,  waiting  for  a  sail ; 
No  sail  from  day  to  day,  but  every  day 
The  sunrise  broken  into  scarlet  shafts 
Among  the  palms  and  ferns  and  precipices. 

He  thinks  of  wife  and  child  and  horse  and  boat  and 
all  the  associated  memories  of  home. 

Once  likewise  in  the  ringing  of  his  ears, 
Though  faintly,  merrily  —  far  and  far  away  — 
He  heard  the  pealing  of  his  parish  bells; 
Then,  though  he  knew  not  wherefore,  started  up 
Shuddering,  and  when  the  beauteous,  hateful  isle 
Returned  upon  him,  had  not  his  poor  heart 
Spoken  with  That,  which  being  everywhere 
Lets  none,  who  speaks  with  him,  seem  all  alone 
Surely  the  man  had  died  of  solitude. 

There  is  something  awful  about  being  all  alone  and 
the  soul  would  sink  within  itself  and  die  were  it  not  for 
the  fact  that  the  Infinite  is  a  spirit  kindred  to  our  own 
from  whose  immanent  presence  we  are  never  far  away. 

There  is  a  loneliness  of  decision.  Every  spirit  is  in- 
dividual and  dwells  apart  from  every  other.  We  say, 
"  I  "  and  "  thou  "  and  "  he  "  and  thus  recognize  the 
separateness  —  the  personality  of  each.  But  emphasis  is 
given  to  individuality  when  choices  are  made.  Even 
though  our  choice  coincides  with  that  of  others,  it  is  not 


Alone,  Yet  Not  Alone  125 

less  our  own.  Yet  the  conspicuousness  of  decision  is 
heightened  when  it  cuts  one  off  from  fellowship  —  when 
he  becomes  the  one  man  in  his  generation  or  community  to 
advocate  a  neglected  cause  or  defend  a  despised  truth, 
or  when  his  brave  and  righteous  act  singles  him  out  as  a 
hero  or  marks  him  off  for  a  victim. 

There  are  crises  in  all  lives  when  such  decisions  must 
be  made.  It  is  an  hour  of  solicitation  to  evil.  The  net 
is  spread  on  every  side.  Only  a  courageous  heart  can 
break  through  its  meshes  and  walk  at  liberty.  Such  a 
crisis  came  to  Joseph  in  Potiphar's  house  and  the  heroic 
answer  he  gave  has  been  like  a  shield  to  many  ever  since 
— "  How  can  I  do  this  great  wickedness  and  sin  against 
God?" 

Such  a  crisis  came  to  Daniel  more  than  once.  It  came 
as  it  comes  to  us  in  connection  with  very  ordinary  matters 
of  eating  and  drinking  and  praying.  Shall  he  offend  God 
or  Darius?  Shall  he  make  his  petition  to  his  God  con- 
trary to  the  king's  decree  or  make  his  petition  to  the  king 
alone  contrary  to  the  divine  decree?  Will  he  choose 
Jehovah  and  the  den  of  lions  or  Darius  and  the  second 
place  in  the  kingdom?  Daniel's  enemies  made  no  mis- 
calculation. They  gave  him  credit  for  unflinching  loyalty 
to  the  law  of  his  God  and  his  actions  justified  their  con- 
fidence. When  the  hour  of  noon  was  come,  Daniel 
flung  open  the  windows  of  his  chamber  toward  Jerusalem 
and  prayed  as  aforetime.  His  decision  was  unhesitating, 
though  it  separated  him  from  every  man  in  power  in  the 
Persian  dominion. 

Not  less  picturesque  is  that  familiar  scene  in  the  life 
of  Luther  when  at  the  diet  of  Worms  he  stood  before 
princes  and  ecclesiastics  and  said — "  Here  I  stand;  I  can 
do  no  other." 

Such  scenes  as  these  come  unheralded  as  life  is  flowing 
on  in  its  usual  course.  They  come  as  the  ledge  of  rock 
comes  to  the  onrushing  stream  and  the  leap  is  made  ac- 
cording to  the  momentum  of  character  behind  it. 


126  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

Anywhere  in  any  life  there  may  be  the  occasion,  sud- 
denly or  slowly  matured,  of  heroic  action  —  of  decision 
for  or  against  truth  or  right  or  God.  Anywhere  there 
may  be  necessity  to  stand  alone  if  we  would  maintain  a 
conscience  void  of  offence  or  further  the  causes  we  love. 

There  is  the  loneliness  of  desertion.  'Tis  lonely  to 
never  see  a  "  kindly  human  face,  nor  ever  hear  a  kindly 
voice."  Lonelier  still  is  it  when  one  by  his  own  act  steps 
out  from  the  mass  of  men  and  separates  himself  from  the 
very  atmosphere  in  which  they  live  and  breathe. 

But  loneliest  of  all  is  it  when  one  is  forsaken  of  old 
companions  and  friends  —  when  those  who  shared  his  life 
and  joys  and  hopes,  who  sympathized  with  his  purposes 
and  plans,  prove  false  and  faithless  and  abandon  him  to 
his  fate  —  to  failure  or  to  doom. 

'Midst  the  crowd,  the  hum,  the  shock  of  men, 
To  hear,  to  see,  to  feel  and  to  possess, 
And  roam  along,  the  world's  tired  denizen, 
With  none  to  bless  us,  none  whom  we  can  bless ; 
None  that  with  kindred  consciousness  endued, 
If  we  were  not,  would  seem  to  smile  the  less, 
Of  all  that  flattered,  followed,  sought  and  sued ; 
This  is  to  be  alone;  this,  this  is  solitude." 

The  pang  of  desertion  was  keenly  felt  by  our  Saviour. 
Not  one  of  all  that  loving  band  that  circled  about  him  for 
three  years  was  to  him 

True  as  the  needle  to  the  pole, 
Or  as  the  dial  to  the  sun. 

When  the  hour  of  his  suffering  and  ignominy  came, 
they  every  one  shrank  back  in  selfish  terror. 

"  Ye  shall  be  scattered  every  one  to  his  own,"  is  the 
Saviour's  explanatory  hint  concerning  the  departure  of  his 
disciples.     Each  was  scattered  to  his  own  —  his  own  busi- 


Alone,  Yet  Not  Alone  127 

ness  —  his  own  family  —  his  own  interests.  It  is  the  too 
familiar  story  of  love  to  Christ  supplanted  by  love  to 
self  —  of  friendship  vitiated  by  selfishness. 

There  are  indeed  links  of  friendship  that  are  often 
stronger  than  those  of  kindred.  Yet  even  these  are  some- 
times corroded  by  ambition  and  covetousness  or  snapped 
asunder  by  the  strain  of  worldly  threats  or  promises. 
Slowly  and  bitterly  we  yield  to  the  conviction  that  the 
friend  we  trusted  has  failed  us  in  the  hour  of  need  — 
that  there  is  a  limit  to  his  constancy  that  has  already  been 
reached. 

More  bitter  far  than  all, 

It  was  to  know  that  Love  could  change  and  die ! 
Hush !  for  the  ages  call, 
The  Love  of  God  lives  through  Eternity 
And  conquers  all. 

We  can  only,  like  Jesus,  fall  back  upon  the  Gibraltar 
of  our  confidence  —  upon  the  bosom  of  the  Almighty 
Father  whose  faithfulness  and  love  endure  forever.  "  Ye 
shall  leave  me  alone;  and  yet  I  am  not  alone  because  the 
Father  is  with  me." 

Let  us  now  in  the  second  place  consider 

II.  The  Divine  Companionship  that  brings  relief  in 
every  lonely  hour.  "  The  Father  is  with  me,"  was  the 
Saviour's  comfort  when  the  disciples  were  scattered  from 
him.  There  never  was  a  moment  in  all  his  earthly  course 
when  he  could  not  say  —  The  Father  is  with  me.  Per- 
haps we  cannot  unravel  all  the  mystery  connected  with 
the  relation  of  the  Divine-human  Mediator  to  the  Divine 
Father.  How  can  he  be  a  Sin-bearer,  enduring  the  smit- 
ings  of  divine  wrath,  and  at  the  same  time  an  object  of 
the  divine  approval?  How  can  he  suffer  under  the  frown 
of  God  as  an  angry  Judge  and  yet  enjoy  the  favor  of 
God  as  a  loving  Father?  The  seeming  paradox  may  per- 
plex us  for  a  little,  yet  will  pass  away  as  we  reflect  upon 


128  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

it.  God  may  impose  a  burden  and  yet  approve  the  con- 
duct of  the  burden-bearer.  He  may  even  exact  a  penalty 
and  yet  sanction  the  assumption  of  it  by  the  sinner's  rep- 
resentative. He  may  deal  with  him  in  righteousness  as 
occupying  the  sinner  s  place  or  he  may  deal  with  him  as  a 
servant  fulfilling  his  appointed,  accepted  task  in  the  sin- 
ner's behalf.  So  that  we  may  say  that  the  Saviour  was 
never  more  pleasing  to  God  than  when  he  drank  to  its 
bitter  dregs  the  cup  of  divine  justice  pressed  to  his  lips. 
In  the  "  Believer's  Riddle,"  Ralph  Erskine  thus  presents 
the  mysterious  truth  in  rugged  verse  — 

In  him  concentred  at  his  death 

His  Father's  love,  his  Father's  wrath, 

Even  He  whom  passion  never  seized 

Was  then  most  angry,  when  most  pleased. 

Not  only  did  he  possess  the  Father's  favor,  but  he  lived 
in  the  joyous  consciousness  of  it.  The  Father's  name 
was  continually  upon  his  lips,  because  it  was  ever  in  his 
mind.  Forty-one  times  he  speaks  of  him  in  these  dis- 
courses contained  in  the  three  chapters  beginning  with  the 
14th  of  John.  Six  times  he  breathes  his  name  in  that 
intercessory  prayer  in  the  17th  Chapter  and  every  line  in 
it  tells  equally  of  reverence  and  familiarity.  "  Father, 
the  hour  is  come  .  .  ."  "  Holy  Father,  keep  through 
thine  own  name  those  whom  thou  hast  given  me," — "  O 
righteous  Father,  the  world  hath  not  known  thee,  but  I 
have  known  thee  and  these  have  known  that  thou  didst 
send  me." 

As  he  hanged  upon  the  cross  not  many  hours  after- 
ward, we  hear  him  praying  for  his  crucifiers  — "  Father, 
forgive  them,  for  they  know  not  what  they  do."  And 
when  the  days  of  his  humiliation  were  over  and  at  the 
dawn  of  the  day  he  appeared  to  Mary  Magdalene  at  the 
sepulchre,  the  first  words  he  uttered  tell  of  his  home-going 
to  God  — "  I  ascend  to  my  Father  and  your  Father  — 


Alone,  Yet  Not  Alone  129 

to  my  God  and  your  God."  The  very  air  is  to  him 
peopled  with  the  Father's  presence  and  every  object  or 
event  is  seen  in  the  light  of  the  relation  he  sustains  to  it. 
This  exalted  companionship  with  the  Father  compensates 
for  every  loss,  heightens  every  joy,  suffuses  every  experi- 
ence with  sweetness  and  peace.  In  all  the  vexing  details 
of  his  successive  trials  before  ecclesiastical  and  civil  tri- 
bunals he  maintained  a  demeanor  of  entire  calmness. 
Amid  a  perfect  storm  of  human  passion,  he  showed  a  com- 
posure absolutely  undisturbed,  a  freedom  from  excitement 
that  marks  superiority  to  all  that  were  about  him. 

How  can  we  account  for  this  intimacy  and  this  result- 
ing assurance  and  peace?  They  could  walk  together  be- 
cause they  were  agreed.  He  was  at  one  with  the  Father 
because  he  sought  not  his  own  will  but  the  will  of  Him 
that  sent  him.  His  own  explanation  of  the  foundation 
of  his  confidence  is  given  in  these  words  — "  He  that  sent 
me  is  with  me ;  he  hath  not  left  me  alone ;  for  I  do  always 
the  things  that  are  pleasing  to  Him."  There  was  never 
a  flaw  in  his  perfect  obedience  —  not  an  act  or  thought 
or  feeling  or  wish  that  was  out  of  harmony  with  the 
Divine  mind.  Therefore  there  was  never  a  break  in  their 
fellowship  and  the  language  of  the  Fatherly  heart  con- 
cerning him  is  exuberant  and  joyous  — "  Behold  my  ser- 
vant whom  I  uphold ;  my  chosen  in  whom  my  soul  de- 
lighteth." 

Is  the  same  source  of  relief  in  lonely  hours  open  to 
any  human  soul  ?  Is  the  name  of  the  Lord  a  strong  tower 
into  which  any  one  of  us  may  run  and  be  safe?  Yes  — 
whosoever  will  may  become  a  child  of  God  by  believing 
in  his  Son  and  may  keep  company  with  his  heavenly 
Father  in  the  way  of  faith  and  obedience.  Abraham  was 
called  the  "  friend  of  God,"  and  this  distinction  belongs 
to  all  who  like  him  believe  unto  righteousness.  But  as 
the  pleasures  of  any  friendship  may  be  marred  by  suspi- 
cion or  unfriendly  action,  so  the  joy  of  the  divine  friend- 
ship may  be  interrupted  by  sin.     We  can  only  hope  to 


130  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

enjoy  in  full  freedom  the  sweetness  of  the  Father's  fel- 
lowship by  doing  always  as  Jesus  did  those  things  that 
are  pleasing  in  his  sight.  We  must  separate  from  every 
company  that  is  inconsistent  with  God's  if  we  would  re- 
tain the  satisfying  consciousness  of  his  favor  and  presence. 
"  Come  out  from  among  them  and  be  ye  separate,  saith 
the  Lord,  and  touch  no  unclean  thing;  and  I  will  re- 
ceive you  and  will  be  a  Father  unto  you  and  ye  shall  be 
my  sons  and  daughters,  saith  the  Lord  Almighty." 

Oh,  what  a  privilege  is  this!  What  love  amazing 
that  we  should  be  called  the  sons  of  God!  What  solace 
we  often  find  in  resting  our  weary,  lonely  heads  upon 
the  bosom  of  God.  Many  a  time  some  of  you  have  felt 
that  there  is  no  comfort  anywhere  but  in  him  and  have 
fled  from  man  to  hold  converse  with  God.  No  other 
could  understand  so  perfectly ;  no  other  could  help  so 
tenderly  and  mightily.  I  think  of  Jacob,  fleeing  from 
the  frown  of  his  deceived  father  and  the  anger  of  his 
supplanted  brother,  on  that  long  journey  to  Padan-Aram, 
lying  in  the  open  field  with  the  sky  for  his  covering  and 
a  stone  for  his  pillow,  with  not  one  friend  or  fellow  by 
his  side,  leagues  away  from  any  man  or  woman  that  loves 
him  or  can  speak  to  him.  What  a  glad  surprise  it  must 
have  been  to  him  to  hear  a  voice  breaking  the  awful 
silence  — "  I  am  the  Lord  God  of  Abraham  thy  father 
and  the  God  of  Isaac;  the  land  whereon  thou  liest  to 
thee  will  I  give  it  and  to  thy  seed.  .  .  .  Behold  I  am 
with  thee  and  will  keep  thee  in  all  places  whither  thou 
goest  and  will  bring  thee  again  into  this  land ;  for  I  will 
not  leave  thee  until  I  have  done  that  which  I  have  spoken 
to  thee  of." 

I  think  of  Henry  Martyn,  who,  when  a  young  man, 
was  spoken  of  as  a  "  student  who  never  lost  an  hour," 
who  gave  his  life  to  Christ  and  Foreign  Mission  work 
in  India.  After  doing  a  great  work  in  translating  the 
Scriptures  and  setting  an  example  of  devotion  that  has 
borne  fruit  ever  since,  health  failed  and  rest  was  abso- 


Alone,  Yet  Not  Alone  13 1 

lutely  necessary.  He  set  out  on  what  he  described  as 
"  my  long  journey  of  1300  miles,"  to  Constantinople  on 
his  way  home  to  England.  It  was  a  wearisome,  danger- 
ous, hurried  flight  from  post  to  post  until  his  exhausted 
frame  could  endure  no  more  and  the  heavenly  home  was 
reached  before  the  earthly  came  in  sight.  The  last 
record  he  made  was  of  an  hour  of  unexpected  repose  — 
"  I  sat  and  thought  with  sweet  comfort  and  peace  of 
my  God  —  in  solitude,  my  Company,  my  Friend  and 
Comforter.  Oh,  when  shall  time  give  place  to 
eternity?  " 

I  think  again  of  Livingston  as  Stanley  found  him  in 
the  heart  of  Africa,  hating  slavery  and  loving  God  and 
men.  He,  too,  took  ill  on  the  homeward  journey  and 
one  morning,  as  his  attendants  looked  in  upon  him,  they 
saw  that  he  was  gone.  His  spirit  had  taken  its  flight 
when  none  was  with  him  — ■  suddenly  caught  up  to  glory 
by  the  Father's  hand.  They  found  him,  not  in  bed,  but 
kneeling  at  the  bedside  with  his  head  buried  in  his  hands 
—  alone,  yet  not  alone,  for  he  was  with  God  and  God 
was  with  him. 

The  companionship  of  God  is  not  only  valuable  for 
comfort,  but  for  support.  There  is  no  brace  to  right 
decision  like  the  consciousness  of  his  righteous  presence. 
Moses  endured  as  seeing  Him  who  is  invisible.  The 
three  Hebrew  heroes  refused  to  worship  the  golden  image 
Nebuchadnezzar  set  up  because  they  could  affirm  with 
confidence  — "  Our  God  whom  we  serve  is  able  to  de- 
liver us  out  of  the  burning  fiery  furnace." 

Carey's  heart  was  impressed  with  the  awful  need  of 
the  heathen  and  offered  to  go  as  a  missionary  to  India. 
Many  doubted  the  wisdom  and  practicability  of  the  pro- 
posed enterprise  and  even  reproached  him  for  wild 
fanaticism.  But  with  unshaken  faith  and  courage  and 
hope,  he  proclaimed  his  convictions.  The  key-note  of  his 
answer  to  every  objector  was  — "  Undertake  great  things 
for  God ;  expect  great  things  from  God." 


132  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

Ye  who  have  a  share  in  unpopular  movements,  be  not 
disheartened  when  you  find  that  there  are  laggards  and 
stragglers  and  gloomy  prophets.  Whoever  deserts  a 
righteous  cause,  God  never  disowns  it.  He  may  not  at 
once  appear  to  hasten  its  triumph,  but  his  heart  is  with 
it  and  with  every  man  or  woman  who  espouses  it,  and 
sooner  or  later  his  presence  and  power  will  give  it 
success.  At  the  first,  Methodist  was  a  term  of  reproach 
and  even  so  good  a  man  as  our  own  John  Brown  of  Had- 
dington blessed  God  for  having  "  kept  him  from  follow- 
ing that  man  of  sin,  John  Wesley."  Yet  who  now  would 
question  the  appropriateness  of  Adam  Clarke's  epitaph 
written  with  diamond  on  a  pane  of  glass  in  his  study 
window  in  Manchester — "Good  men  need  not  marble; 
I  dare  trust  glass  with  the  memory  of  John  Wesley,  late 
fellow  of  Lincoln  College,  Oxford;  who  with  indefati- 
gable zeal  and  perseverance,  travelled  these  kingdoms, 
preaching  Jesus  for  more  than  half  a  century  by  his  un- 
paralleled writings  and  labors.  He  revived  and  spread 
Scriptural  Christianity  wherever  he  went,  for  God  was 
with  him."  Yes,  God  was  with  him  and  is  with  every 
faithful  servant  and  will  at  last  bring  forth  his  righteous- 
ness as  the  light  and  his  judgment  as  the  noonday.  God 
is  with  every  worthy  cause  and  will  sooner  or  later  make 
it  to  ride  upon  the  high  places  of  the  field. 

Some  day  Love  shall  claim  his  own, 
Some  day  Right  ascend  the  throne 
Some  day  Hidden  Truth  be  known, 
Some  day  —  some  sweet  day. 

We  hear  much  in  our  day  of  the  necessity  for  a  practi- 
cal religion  —  a  religion  that  will  straighten  out  the 
tangles  of  the  present  world  rather  than  offer  a  way  of 
happy  escape  to  a  better  world.  As  it  is  expressed  in  a 
recent  work  on  Social  Evolution  — "  Christianity  is  in- 
tended  to  save  not  only   men   but   man   and   its  mission 


Alone,  Yet  Not  Alone  133 

should  be  to  teach  us  not  only  how  to  die  as  individuals, 
but  how  to  live  as  members  of  society." 

But  what  is  the  preaching  that  affects  living?  Not 
moral  essays  without  reference  to  a  moral  Governor  — 
not  sensational  thrusts  at  manifest  evils  that  curse  society 
— ■  not  denunciation  of  doctrine  and  dogma  with  a  fling 
at  our  fathers  —  but  old-fashioned  Bible  truth,  brought 
home  with  blood-red  earnestness  to  the  hearts  and  con- 
sciences of  men.  The  world  needs  motive  as  well  as 
vision  and  there  are  no  motives  like  those  that  come  from 
Sinai  and  the  cross  —  from  the  awful  majesty  and  the 
amazing  love  of  God.  The  religion  that  takes  hold  on 
the  other  world  is  the  most  practical  for  this.  Eliminate 
from  it  every  invisible  element  —  God  and  heaven  and 
hell  —  providence,  eternity  and  responsibility  —  and 
what  have  you  left  worth  speaking  of  to  constrain  men 
to  live  for  the  elevation  of  themselves  or  their  fellow- 
men?  Let  a  man  live  with  God  and  for  God  and  he 
will  have  the  best  preparation  for  living  with  man  and 
for  man. 

Religion's  all.     Descending  from  the  skies 
To  wretched  man,  the  goddess  in  her  left 
Holds  out  this  world,  and  in  her  right,  the  next. 

Members  of  the  graduating  class  of  1895,  aspire  after 
the  filial  fellowship  with  God  which  characterized  your 
Saviour.  I  know  not  what  trials  may  be  in  the  path  of 
any  one  of  you,  what  desert  places  you  will  pass  through, 
what  sharp  crisis  will  come  to  you  when  decision  will 
tremble  in  the  balance,  what  disappointments  you  may 
have  in  friends  and  associates  in  labor.  But  I  do  know 
that  this  way  has  been  trodden  by  Christ  and  that  his 
passage  over  it  has  made  it  easier  for  you  and  me. 

I  know  no  better  provision  for  your  happiness  and 
safety  than  to  take  God  with  you.  Do  not  be  afraid  of 
being  thought  religious.     Let  the  world  know  that  you 


134  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

stand  with  God-fearing  men  and  women.  Speak  daily 
to  God  in  prayer.  Listen  to  Him  as  He  speaks  to  you 
in  His  Word.  Cultivate  in  all  appropriate  ways  a  sense 
of  the  Divine  presence. 

Be  a  thorough-going  Christian.  Be  a  living  branch 
of  the  life-giving  vine.  He  that  hath  the  Son  hath  life 
—  life  that  is  life  indeed. 

A  month  ago  or  more  some  of  the  trees  were  just 
putting  forth  their  green  and  tender  leaves  and  giving 
promise  of  a  rich  and  abundant  foliage.  But  one  chill 
and  desolating  night  destroyed  their  beauty  and  black  and 
withered  and  dead  they  seemed  for  weeks. 

Will  they  revive?  Or  will  they  stand  abashed 
through  all  the  live-long  season?  They  have  life  and 
life  contains  the  potency  and  promise  of  victory. 
Already  new  branches  displace  or  overshadow  the  old 
and  life  exults  in  her  triumph  over  desolation  and  death. 

May  such  life  —  vigorous,  dominating  spiritual  life  be- 
long to  every  one  of  you!  Then  come  what  will,  you 
will  survive  the  hindrances  and  dangers  of  your  post. 
You  will  be  able  to  stand  the  chill  and  shock  of  every 
adverse  circumstance.  You  will  overcome  by  the  renew- 
ing, transforming,  irrepressible  power  of  life  in  Christ 
Jesus.  "  I  am  come,"  says  Jesus,  "  that  they  might  have 
life  and  that  they  might  have  it  more  abundantly." 

When  God  scattered  the  children  of  Israel  among  the 
heathen,  he  gave  this  assurance  to  the  remnant  that  be- 
lieved in  his  name — "  I  will  be  to  them  a  little  sanctuary 
in  the  countries  where  they  shall  come."  I  trust  this 
promise  will  be  fulfilled  to  every  one  of  you,  wherever 
you  may  be  scattered  in  our  own  or  other  lands.  May 
the  Lord  be  to  you  a  sanctuary  —  a  sacred  and  sure 
refuge.  I  wish  I  could  convince  you  that  this  is  not 
mere  rhetoric.  I  speak  of  the  basis  of  the  best  life  — 
of  real  life  —  of  your  life  and  mine  if  we  will.  It  is 
possible  for  you  so  to  live  that  like  Jesus  you  can  say 
everywhere  and  always  — "  The  Father  is  with  me." 


Alone,  Yet  Not  Alone  135 

God  likewise  told  the  Children  of  Israel  of  a  time 
when  he  would  gather  them  again  to  their  own  land 
and  put  his  Spirit  within  them  and  write  his  own  name 
upon  them  and  claim  them  as  his  own.  Such  a  gather- 
ing time  will  come  by  and  by  for  all  the  sons  of  God 
on  the  plains  of  the  promised  land  on  high.  We'll  all 
meet  again,  will  we  not?  Yes,  we'll  meet  again  by  the 
grace  of  God  in  that  far  off  land.  We  can  already  hear 
the  welcome  of  him  who  has  gone  before.  Centuries  ago, 
he  said  — "  I  go  to  my  Father,"  and  the  words  he  spake 
before  he  went  yet  linger  in  the  ear  of  humanity  — "  In 
my  Father's  house  are  many  mansions;  if  it  were  not  so, 
I  would  have  told  you.  I  go  to  prepare  a  place  for  you. 
And  if  I  go  and  prepare  a  place  for  you,  I  will  come 
again  and  receive  you  unto  myself,  that  where  I  am,  there 
ye  may  be  also." 

It  will  be  no  more  the  experience  of  faith  — "  The 
Father  is  with  me,"  but  the  experience  of  open  vision  — 
I  am  wTith  the  Father  and  see  him  face  to  face  —  home 
after  many  wanderings  —  home  to  stay.  "  Now  unto 
him  that  is  able  to  keep  you  from  falling  and  to  present 
you  faultless  before  the  presence  of  his  glory  with  exceed- 
ing joy,  to  the  only  wise  God,  our  Saviour,  be  glory  and 
majesty,  dominion  and  power,  both  now  and  ever. 
Amen." 


SERMON  XI,  1896 

THE    GIRDLE   OF   RIGHTEOUSNESS 
Faithfulness  shall  be  the  girdle  of  his  reins. —  Isa.  II:  6. 

MR.  BRICE  in  just  and  friendly  criticism  of  our 
"  American  Commonwealth,"  mentions  among  our 
salient  features  — "  a  fondness  for  bold  and  striking  ef- 
fects —  an  enthusiasm  for  anything  that  can  be  called 
genius  with  an  over-readiness  to  discover  it."  A  dis- 
tinguished American  lecturer  does  not  hesitate  to  speak 
on  a  Boston  platform  and  within  hearing  of  all  the  Eng- 
lish-speaking world  of  "  American  reverence  for  success- 
ful sharpness." 

Are  these  estimates  as  just  as  they  are  frank?  Do  we 
run  wild  after  brilliancy  in  achievement?  Do  we  ad- 
mire most  what  may  be  proclaimed  upon  the  house-top, 
or  in  more  modern  phrase  may  be  spread  abroad  by  posters 
and  headlines?  Do  we  care  less  for  something  to  say 
than  how  to  say  it  —  for  elocution  than  for  education 
—  for  the  clapping  of  the  hands  of  the  multitude  than 
for  the  consciousness  of  honest  attainment?  Do  we  prize 
most  the  shining,  conspicuous  qualities  of  men  and  women 
rather  than  their  quiet  sterling  worth? 

If  these  things  be  so,  we  are  not  true  to  the  beginnings 
of  our  nation's  history,  to  the  examples  of  our  forefathers. 
They  were  men  who  lived  under  the  inspiration  of  duty 
rather  than  of  glory,  who  cared  as  much  for  the  corner- 
stone as  for  the  capstone,  who  built  year  after  year  for 
truth  and  right  and  God  all  unconscious  of  the  greatness 
of  their  endeavor.  Washington,  in  his  modesty  and  re- 
serve and  fidelity  to  duty  was  a  fit  exponent  of  the  men 
of  his  time  and  his  words  in  the  darkest  hour  of  the 

136 


The  Girdle  of  Righteousness  137 

revolution  contain  his  own  idea  of  his  mission  — "  I  see 
my  duty  —  that  of  standing  up  for  the  liberties  of  my 
country;  and  whatever  difficulties  and  discouragements 
lie  in  my  way  I  dare  not  shrink  from  it;  and  I  rely  on 
that  Being  who  has  not  left  to  us  the  choice  of  duties, 
that  whilst  I  shall  conscientiously  discharge  mine  I  shall 
not  finally  lose  my  reward."  Pomp  and  pageantry  were 
foreign  to  his  mind;  duty,  God  and  heaven  were  the  in- 
visible environment  that  made  its  impress  on  his  thoughts 
and  purposes. 

I  wish  to  commend  to  you  the  very  commonplace 
virtue  of  fidelity.  Like  charity,  she  "  seeketh  not  her 
own."  She  hides  herself  in  retired  places;  she  dies  and 
makes  no  sign,  yet  she  is  the  servant  of  every  good. 
She  lends  dignity  to  drudgery ;  she  gives  equal  grace  to  the 
palace  and  the  hut. 

How  shall  we  make  her  attractive  to  our  sense-veiled 
time?  How  exalt  her  in  the  eyes  of  all  so  that  we  shall 
seek  her  before  praise  or  pelf?  How  shall  we  supple- 
ment the  constraint  of  conscience  in  her  favor?  How 
shall  we  enforce  the  lesson  of  our  earliest  national  his- 
tory? Let  us  study  in  the  light  of  this  grace  the  ex- 
ample of  the  Perfect  One.  Above  all  that  have  ever 
lived  he  was  faithful  —  a  merciful  and  faithful  High 
Priest  —  the  Amen,  the  faithful  and  true  Witness. 
Long  before  he  came  prophets  foretold  his  coming.  The 
Prophet  Isaiah,  centuries  before  Christ,  saw  his  day  and 
joyfully  announced  his  character — "  The  spirit  of  the 
Lord  shall  rest  upon  him,  the  spirit  of  wisdom  and  under- 
standing, the  spirit  of  counsel  and  might,  the  spirit  of 
knowledge  and  of  the  fear  of  the  Lord.  .  .  .  And  right- 
eousness shall  be  the  girdle  of  his  loins  and  faithfulness 
the  girdle  of  his  reins."  To  this  keynote  of  his  career 
we  invite  your  attention  — "  Faithfulness  shall  be  the 
girdle  of  his  reins." 

Consider : 

I.  The  Redeemer's  girdle. 


138  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

II.  Its  admirable  qualities. 

The  girdle  was  an  essential  part  of  Oriental  dress. 
During  hours  of  inactivity  it  might  be  laid  aside.  But 
when  one  was  summoned  to  action  the  girdle  was  fastened 
around  the  loins  and  the  loose  garments  were  gathered 
within  its  grasp.  It  was  fitted  close  to  the  person  and 
was  both  a  support  and  an  ornament.  It  was  thus  that 
"  Elijah  girded  up  his  loins  and  ran  before  Ahab,"  leav- 
ing in  the  distance  the  swift  chariots  of  the  King. 

It  is  a  frequent  figure  in  the  Scripture  for  a  tense  state 
of  mind  —  a  readiness  for  whatever  exertion  the  situa- 
tion may  require.  Peter,  for  example,  exhorts  the  scat- 
tered, persecuted  disciples,  "  Gird  up  the  loins  of  your 
mind,  be  sober  and  hope  to  the  end." 

Faithfulness,  like  a  girdle,  adheres  to  the  Redeemer's 
soul,  says  God  by  the  prophet  Jeremiah  (13:  11)  — "  As 
a  girdle  cleaveth  to  the  loins  of  a  man,  so  have  I  caused 
to  cleave  unto  me  the  whole  house  of  Israel."  So  does 
faithfulness  encircle  and  cleave  to  the  mind  of  Christ. 
It  touches  the  whole  circumference  of  his  being.  It 
gathers  up  into  its  loving  embrace  every  faculty  and 
feeling  of  his  nature  and  makes  them  subservient  to  his 
mission.  It  holds  in  subjection  even  those  elements  that 
tend  to  lawlessness,  that  have  in  themselves  no  principle 
of  government  —  the  desires  and  appetites  and  passions 
—  and  makes  them  contribute  to  the  fulfillment  of  a 
righteous  purpose.  It  enters  into  every  relation  of  his 
life  and  finds  therein  conspicuous  illustration. 

As  a  relative  and  friend  he  was  girt  about  with  faith- 
fulness. What  an  example  of  obedience  to  parents  he 
set  in  his  return  from  Jerusalem  to  Nazareth,  after  his 
mind  had  been  opened  in  the  temple  to  the  vision  of  his 
heavenly  relationship.  "  He  was  subject  unto  them," — 
places  the  rebuke  of  his  example  on  the  conduct  of  every 
son  who  casts  off  the  yoke  of  parental  authority  because 
of  his  exaggerated  notion  of  his  own  liberty  or  wisdom. 
The  distance  between  Jesus  and  Joseph  was  wider  far 


The  Girdle  of  Righteousness  139 

than  that  between  any  young  man  and  his  parents  and 
yet  Jesus  submitted  himself  without  question  to  family 
authority.  His  fidelity  as  a  son  shines  forth  with  equal 
splendor  just  at  the  close  of  his  career.  When  the 
agonies  of  the  crucifixion  were  wearing  out  his  own  life 
he  thought  of  the  torn  bleeding  heart  of  his  Mother. 
With  the  tenderest  solicitude  about  her  comfort  he  com- 
mends her  to  the  care  of  the  disciple  whom  he  loved. 
No  untried  guardian  will  do;  no  coarse,  unsympathetic 
nature  will  answer  for  such  a  charge.  Not  till  he  saw 
the  disciple  standing  by  whom  he  loved,  did  he  look  down 
from  the  cross  and  say  — "  Woman,  behold  thy  son,"  and 
to  the  disciple,  "  Behold  thy  mother."  When  accord- 
ing to  the  early  prophecy  of  Simeon  the  sword  was  pierc- 
ing her  very  soul,  Jesus  did  all  that  a  noble  son  could 
do  to  assuage  her  grief  and  fill  the  void  that  his  ap- 
proaching departure  must  make.  He  was  faithful  unto 
death  to  the  Mother  that  bore  him.  There  was  a  family 
made  up  of  two  sisters  and  a  brother  whose  hospitality 
he  often  enjoyed  and  whose  loving  regard  he  prized  and 
reciprocated.  When  the  brother  died  Jesus  soon  came 
to  Bethany  to  mingle  his  tears  with  theirs.  What  a 
tribute  is  given  to  his  faithful  friendship  in  the  repose- 
ful confidence  they  manifested  in  him  in  that  hour  of 
bereavement.  How  they  clung  to  him,  sitting  at  his  feet, 
listening  to  his  words.  The  strongest  testimony  one 
friend  can  give  to  another's  fidelity  is  to  lean  upon  him 
when  the  burden  is  great  and  the  night  is  dark  and  the 
way  is  lonely.  In  such  a  time  as  this  these  sisters  so 
unlike  in  many  respects  were  one  in  their  restful  waiting 
upon  Jesus  and  seemed  by  all  their  intercourse  with  him 
to  declare — "There  is  a  friend  that  sticketh  closer  than 
a  brother." 

There  was  a  little  band  of  twelve  that  circled  round 
him  as  a  magnetic  center.  How  did  he  act  toward  them 
during  the  three  busy  years  they  companied  together? 
He  kept  them  as  the  apple  of  his  eye.     He  was  patient 


140  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

with  their  infirmities.  He  was  thoughtful  about  their 
physical  wants,  providing  them  safety  and  food  and  rest. 
With  unwearying  iteration  he  repeated  the  lessons  of  the 
Kingdom  for  their  instruction.  He  forewarned  them  of 
the  dangers  they  would  encounter.  He  gave  that  last, 
best  proof  of  friendship  that  he  rebuked  their  faults  as 
well  as  praised  their  virtues.  He  commended  Nathaniel's 
guilelessness  and  the  Baptist's  rock-like  firmness.  To  the 
same  person  on  one  occasion,  he  said  — "  Blessed  art  thou 
Simon  Barjona,"  and  on  another — "  Get  thee  behind  me 
Satan,"  and  love  prompted  the  utterance  in  both  cases 
alike.  To  the  foolish  and  vengeful  suggestions  of  the 
disciples  concerning  the  Samaritan  village,  he  answered  — 
"  Ye  know  not  what  manner  of  spirit  ye  are  of."  O  for  a 
friendship  such  as  this,  that  shrinks  not  from  the  task  of 
rebuking  our  ignorance  when  love  demands  it,  that  loves 
us  too  well  to  be  silent  when  we  are  blindly  going  on  to 
our  hurt.  Whatever  else  is  lacking  we  ask  for  fidelity 
in  a  friend.  It  was  the  girdle  of  the  Redeemer's  friend- 
ship that  ought  to  be  the  girdle  of  ours. 

The  girdle  of  faithfulness  was  worn  by  the  Redeemer 
as  a  servant  of  God.  He  was  true  to  his  trust.  He  ful- 
filled his  mission  to  the  uttermost.  The  announcement 
of  the  angel  at  his  birth  was — "Unto  you  is  born  a 
Saviour."  The  supreme  design  of  the  coming  of  the  Son 
of  God  into  this  sin-cursed  world  was  to  save  lost  men. 
His  own  testimony  is  — "  The  Son  of  man  is  come  to 
seek  and  save  that  which  was  lost."  How  did  he  carry 
out  the  purpose  of  God?  Was  there  ever  a  time  when 
it  was  out  of  his  mind?  Did  it  not  color  and  energize 
his  whole  life?  Paul  describes  him  as  a  "merciful  and 
faithful  high  priest  in  things  pertaining  to  God."  Dur- 
ing his  public  ministry  he  never  forgot  for  one  moment 
for  what  he  came.  Wherever  men  were  to  be  found, 
in  the  street  or  by  the  wayside,  in  the  temple  precincts 
or  by  the  seashore,  he  had  the  same  message  of  love  and 
life  for  them  all.     The  odium  and  degradation  of  sin  in- 


The  Girdle  of  Righteousness  141 

stead  of  setting  bounds  to  his  ministry  in  any  case,  were 
a  challenge  to  the  exhibition  of  his  gracious  saving  power. 
The  iniquitous  tax-gatherer  and  the  depraved  harlot  were 
each  saved  by  a  miracle  of  grace.  To  the  diminutive, 
despised  Zaccheus,  he  said — "Salvation  is  come  to  this 
house."  It  was  the  woman  that  was  a  sinner  that  loved 
much  because  she  was  forgiven  much.  The  outcast 
lepers  were  the  objects  of  his  pity  —  were  cleansed  and 
their  lips  filled  with  praise.  How  many  sermons  he 
preached  that  taught  with  greater  or  less  directness  — "  I 
came  not  to  call  the  righteous  but  sinners  to  repentance." 
Let  the  proud  Pharisee  or  the  rich  Sadducee  find  fault 
with  him  for  receiving  sinners.  His  course  is  not  modi- 
fied in  the  least,  He  will  not  suffer  any  shadow  to  fall 
on  this  transcendent  glory  of  his  life.  It  was  the  sinner 
that  was  the  magnet  that  drew  him  from  the  skies.  It 
was  salvation  for  the  sinner,  rest  for  the  heavy-laden, 
water  for  the  famishing,  life  for  the  dead,  that  he  came 
to  proclaim.  Even  his  miracles  were  parables  of  his 
saving  power  and  all  he  did  and  said  gave  proof  of  his 
fidelity  to  the  grand  mission  of  salvation  on  which  he  was 
sent.  He  was  ever  thinking — "  I  must  work  the  works 
of  Him  that  sent  me  while  it  is  day  for  the  night  cometh 
when  no  man  can  work." 

As  the  night  approaches  his  devotion  to  his  appointed 
task  becomes  clearer  still.  At  Jerusalem  the  end  is  to 
come.  The  sacrificial  atonement  is  to  be  made.  More 
than  once  he  has  had  a  full  pre-vision  of  it  all  —  the 
cross,  the  garden  and  the  tomb.  He  forewarns  his 
disciples  of  his  crucifixion.  What  are  his  feelings  in 
anticipation  of  the  final  onset  of  the  powers  of  darkness? 
Does  he  go  reluctantly  to  the  ordeal?  Or  does  the  end 
in  view  make  him  run  with  eager  feet  to  meet  it?  Does 
he  welcome  the  cross  because  it  is  an  essential  element  in 
his  saving  work?  Listen  to  the  record — "And  it  came 
to  pass  when  the  days  were  well-nigh  come  when  he 
should  be  received  up,  he  steadfastly  set  his  face  to  go  to 


142  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

Jerusalem."  Hear  Jesus  himself  say  — "  I  have  a 
baptism  to  be  baptized  with  and  how  am  I  straitened 
till  it  be  accomplished."  Resolutely  he  faces  the  very 
crisis  of  his  undertaking.  The  cross  is  no  catastrophe 
in  his  view,  but  the  climax  of  his  endeavor.  He  might 
call  legions  of  angels  to  rescue  him  from  his  crucifiers  — 
but  how  then  will  his  mission  be  fulfilled?  He  might 
descend  from  the  cross,  but  how  would  he  save  others 
if  he  saved  himself  ?  With  unswerving  fidelity  he  pressed 
forward  to  the  conclusion  of  his  unexampled  task  until 
with  his  expiring  breath  —  may  I  say?  —  with  exulting, 
triumphant  spirit  he  cried — "  It  is  finished!  "  Finished 
was  his  holy  life  and  finished  too  his  appointed  work. 
The  ransom  is  fully  paid  for  man  and  deliverance  is 
achieved.  He  is  worthy  of  the  name  of  Jesus  because 
he  has  been  faithful  unto  death,  even  the  death  of  the 
cross  that  he  might  save  his  people  from  their  sins. 

Faithfulness  was  the  girdle  of  the  Redeemer  in  his 
every  day  life  as  a  man.  This  is  the  true  test  of 
character.  How  does  he  deport  himself  on  great  occa- 
sions ?  is  not  half  so  good  a  searchlight  as  — "  How  does 
he  act  in  ordinary  life  ?  " 

Grant  entering  Vicksburg  to  receive  the  sword  of  Pem- 
berton  or  reviewing  the  army  at  Washington  at  the  close 
of  the  war  was  not  revealed  in  his  real  personal  glory 
as  he  was  in  his  modest,  magnanimous  treatment  of  Lee 
and  his  army  or  in  his  indomitable  purpose  in  writing 
his  own  memoirs  in  spite  of  his  daily  sufferings.  The 
romances  of  Walter  Scott  are  not  so  good  a  discovery  of 
the  nobility  of  the  man  as  his  heroic  effort  to  liquidate 
a  debt  by  the  untiring  use  of  his  pen.  Peter  the  Great 
deserved  his  name,  not  so  much  when  in  1710,  he  re- 
turned to  Moscow  after  the  battle  of  Pultowa,  in  which 
he  won  a  great  victory  over  Charles  XII  of  Sweden, 
to  pass  under  triumphal  arches  and  set  all  the  bells  of  the 
capitol  ringing,  as  when,  as  a  ship-bulder  in  Amsterdam, 
he  learned  the  arts  he  wished  to  teach  to  his  subjects. 


The  Girdle  of  Righteousness  143 

And  Nicholas  II,  Peter's  successor  to  the  throne  of  all  the 
Russias,  will  deserve  the  same  title  not  because  of  the 
pomp  and  pageantry  and  festivities  of  his  recent  corona- 
tion but  by  serving  well  the  vast  populations  that  are 
under  his  dominion,  by  loosing  the  iron  hand  of  oppres- 
sion in  his  own  territory  and  making  his  great  empire 
not  a  menace  but  a  hope  of  the  world.  Let  us  con- 
template Jesus,  not  as  transfigured  on  the  mount,  not 
as  walking  in  the  majesty  of  a  God,  on  the  unyielding 
sea,  but  as  a  man  walking  along  the  shores  of  Gen- 
nesaret  or  the  streets  of  Capernaum  or  traversing  the 
hills  and  vales  of  Palestine.  In  this  everyday  life  he 
was  without  a  fault.  He  knew  no  sin  neither  was  guile 
found  in  his  mouth.  Whatever  company  he  was  in  he 
turned  not  a  hairsbreadth  from  the  path  of  strict  recti- 
tude. 

What  a  plea  for  heart-morality  we  have  in  the  sermon 
on  the  mount  —  a  plea  that  only  a  soul  conscious 
of  its  own  untainted  righteousness  could  make.  He 
taught  that  a  murderous  act  is  not  more  truly  a  violation 
of  the  holy  law  than  a  murderous  spirit,  that  a  look  or  de- 
sire as  much  as  an  overt  act  may  make  one  a  law-breaker. 
He  could  dare  to  interpret  in  this  penetrating  way  because 
his  own  heart  was  beating  in  constant  harmony  with  the 
law  of  God. 

Nor  did  he  show  any  respect  of  persons  in  the  judg- 
ments he  announced.  His  enemies  stated  but  the  truth 
when  they  came  to  him  saying — "Master,  we  know 
that  thou  art  true  and  teachest  the  way  of  God  in  truth, 
neither  carest  thou  for  any  man ;  for  thou  regardest  not 
the  person  of  men."  These  were  the  claims  he  had  made 
in  his  own  behalf.  With  unpartial  fidelity  he  spake 
the  truth.  His  enemies  meant  no  doubt  to  lure  him  unto 
some  unguarded  statement.  In  their  short-sighted  cun- 
ning they  knew  not  that  his  candor  was  his  shield. 
They  understood  not  what  men  are  slow  to  learn  that 
entanglement    comes    from    shuffling    more    than    from 


144  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

straight-forward  movement.  Neither  could  persecution 
turn  him  aside  from  his  integrity  or  his  testimony.  It 
was  included  in  his  calculations  of  life.  His  expectation 
concerning  himself  is  indicated  in  his  requirement  of  his 
disciples — "  If  any  man  will  come  after  me  let  him  deny 
himself  and  take  up  his  cross  and  follow  me." 

Thus  he  lived  every  day  and  as  the  events  of  providence 
unfolded  in  succession  he  was  the  same  pure,  candid, 
courageous,  spotless  man.  Into  the  Father's  plan  of  his 
life  he  wrought  the  outlines  and  graces  of  a  perfect 
character.  One  night  Nicodemus  came  to  him  and  the 
interview  transformed  him  and  its  results  are  still  ac- 
cumulating wherever  the  3rd  Chapter  of  John  is  read. 
He  sat  upon  the  well  of  Sychar  and  the  opportunity  of 
reaching  a  shameless  woman  was  embraced  notwith- 
standing his  weariness.  He  went  into  the  temple  and 
the  presence  of  the  sordid  money-changers  stirred  his 
righteous  indignation  and  he  drove  them  out.  They 
hanged  him  on  the  cross  between  two  thieves  and  he 
preached  to  them  the  Kingdom  and  one  of  them  gave 
good  heed  and  joined  him  in  paradise  shortly  after. 
Thus  everywhere  he  acted  out  the  spirit  of  fidelity  that 
was  in  him  —  circumstances  changing,  himself  ever  the 
same. 

II.  Its  admirable  qualities.  The  fact  that  the  Re- 
deemer wore  it  is  sufficient  recommendation  to  those  who 
delight  to  be  his  followers.  But  let  us  call  to  mind  some 
of  its  excellent  qualities.  I  would  I  could  so  set  them 
forth  that  you  would,  like  the  merchant  man  who  found 
the  pearl  of  great  price,  purchase  it  at  whatever  cost. 

1.  Let  me  mention  its  adaptiveness.  It  will  fit  any 
mind  or  any  set  of  circumstances.  It  is  however  not 
so  much  adjustable  as  adjusting.  It  can  lay  claim  to  any 
combination  of  talents  or  events  and  make  appropriate  use 
of  them. 

Faithfulness  does  not  need  to  stand  upon  the  pedestal 
of  high  place  in  order  to  appear,  nor  require  the  brilliant 


The  Girdle  of  Righteousness  145 

hues  of  genius  to  increase  its  charms.  It  is  equally  ad- 
mirable in  the  King  on  the  throne  and  the  servant  at  his 
feet.  The  lowliest  may  exhibit  it  with  the  same  at- 
tractiveness as  the  highest.  Here,  at  least,  if  nowhere 
else,  I  may  be  the  equal  of  a  Gladstone  or  a  Sherman  — 
of  a  Spurgeon  or  a  Moody  —  of  a  Whittier  or  a  Tenny- 
son. Nay  I  may  exceed  them  in  faithfulness,  however 
inferior  in  mind  or  station. 

This  virtue  is  adapted  to  all  kinds  of  situations.  It 
may  have  a  background  of  blandishments  or  it  may  rise 
to  view  amid  adversities.  However  tried,  it  pursues  the 
ever  tenor  of  its  way. 

It  is  the  same  in  the  dark  as  in  the  light.  It  does  not 
require  publicity  to  shame  it  into  exercise.  It  can  make 
its  brightest  display  in  the  lonely  desert  where  no  eye 
watches  over  the  traveller  but  God's,  or  in  the  secret 
chamber  where  sleepless  vigil  is  kept  over  a  loved  one, 
or  in  the  personal  interview  where  one  soul  stands  face 
to  face  with  another  in  friendly,  faithful  counsel.  This 
girdle  of  fine  linen  may  be  yours  or  mine.  Let  us  desire 
to  wear  it  without  change  because  it  is  adapted  to  every 
one  of  us  in  every  spot  our  feet  may  tread. 

2.  Another  attractive  feature  of  this  girdle  is  its  ser- 
viceableness  to  others,  its  entire  unselfishness.  It  looks 
not  on  its  own  things  but  on  the  things  of  others.  It  is 
not  for  glory  or  for  gain  that  it  is  exercised.  It  carries 
one  out  of  himself  in  a  life  of  devotion  to  humanity,  to 
truth  and  right,  to  God.  It  sets  aside  mercenary  and 
personal  considerations  at  the  call  of  duty.  No  bribe  can 
seduce  it  from  the  straight  line  of  righteousness.  It  can- 
not be  bought  with  money  to  vote  for  the  worse  candidate 
or  cause  against  the  better.  It  is  not  for  sale  at  any 
price. 

What  an  example  of  unfaithfulness  we  have  in 
Balaam!  He  had  too  much  conscience  to  go  headlong 
into  the  enemy's  camp.  Yet  he  dallied  with  the 
messengers  of  Balak  because  of  the  rewards  of  iniquity. 


146  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

He  talked  beautifully  about  the  "  Word  of  the  Lord  my 
God,"  and  then  went  down  step  by  step  toward  the 
bottomless  pit.  He  could  not  speak  against  Israel  and 
yet  he  could  lay  snares  for  their  feet.  Nothing  could  in- 
duce him  to  take  an  openly  hostile  attitude  toward  Israel 
and  yet  he  could  set  on  foot  schemes  that  meant  their 
utter  overthrow.  And  what  was  the  root  of  his  zig-zag 
faithless  course?  It  was  selfishness,  regard  for  his  own 
wealth  and  honor  and  might.  Why  even  his  religion, 
his  poetic  strains  of  pious  ejaculation,  were  vitiated  by 
a  selfish  taint.  Contrast  with  him  another  old  Testa- 
ment character  of  the  same  age  of  the  world  —  Caleb, 
who  followed  the  Lord  fully.  When  he  returned  from 
viewing  the  promised  land,  he  did  not  consult  his  ease 
or  his  fears,  but  the  divine  promise  and  said  with  deci- 
sion — "  Let  us  go  up  at  once  and  possess  it."  He  said 
what  he  thought  without  regard  to  the  consequences  that 
might  follow.  "  I  brought  him  word  as  it  was  in  my 
heart,"  is  his  own  version  of  the  event.  He  gave  an 
honest,  fearless  statement  of  the  situation  as  it  appeared 
to  an  eye  of  faith  and  not  merely  to  the  selfish  eye  of 
sense.  If  you  wish  to  serve  mankind,  if  a  philanthropic 
spirit  moves  you,  gird  your  loins  with  faithfulness  and 
go  forth  to  do  what  each  day  brings  to  you  to  be  done 
as  to  the  Lord  and  not  to  men. 

3.  Yet  another  admirable  quality  of  this  girdle  is  its 
strength.  One  chief  design  of  the  girdle  was  to  give 
support  to  the  body.  The  Lord  says  of  his  servant, 
Eliakim,  "  I  will  strengthen  him  with  thy  girdle." 

So  faithlessness  girds  the  servant  of  God  with  strength. 
It  means  a  holy  will  and  that  is  the  essential  element  of 
a  strong,  manly  character.  The  faithful  man  may  not 
express  himself  in  vehement,  intemperate  speech,  he  may 
be  neither  extreme  nor  bitter. 

Not  thine  the  bigot's  partial  plea, 
Nor  thine  the  zealot's  ban ; 


The  Girdle  of  Righteousness  147 

Thou  well  canst  spare  a  love  of  Thee 
Which  ends  in  hate  of  man. 

But  the  faithful  man  has  convictions  and  can  abide 
by  them,  he  can  suffer  and  be  strong.  John  the  Baptist 
was  faithful  to  his  mission  and  his  generation  —  an  out- 
spoken preacher  of  righteousness  and  Jesus  challenges  his 
hearers  — "  What  went  ye  out  to  see?  a  reed  shaken  with 
the  wind?"  No,  no,  he  was  a  well-knit,  sinewy  man, 
like  his  prototype  Elijah. 

Lord  Wellington  embodies  the  Englishman's  ideal  of 
fidelity.  The  eldest  of  the  Tennyson  brothers,  all  of 
whom  were  poets,  fitly  describes  him  as  — 

That  tower  of  strength 
Which  stood  foursquare  to  all  the  winds  that  blew. 

The  Earl  of  Beaconsfield  describes  him  in  equally  fitting 
words  — 

Duty  thine  only  idol,  and  serene 

When  all  are  troubled ;  in  the  utmost  need, 

Prescient;  thy  country's  servant  ever  seen. 

His  well-poised  soul  did  not  make  haste  to  change  or 
flee.  Shall  Portugal  be  abandoned  by  the  English 
troops?  The  answer  was  left  with  Wellington  and  it 
came  in  these  loyal,  vigorous  words — "  I  conceive  that  the 
honor  and  interest  of  our  country  require  that  we  should 
hold  our  ground  here  as  long  as  possible;  and  please 
God  I  will  maintain  it  as  long  as  I  can." 

There  is  no  boasting,  no  bravado,  no  prophecy,  but 
resolution,  purpose  inspired  by  patriotism  and  duty  and 
recognition  at  the  same  time  of  his  limitation  by  the 
pleasure  of  the  Almighty. 

In  our  little  sphere  of  college  life  we  had  an  example 
of  fidelity  in  one  whose  earthly  career  was  closed  a  few 


148  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

months  ago.  Duty  was  his  watchword  and  nothing  was 
a  trifle  that  contributed  to  its  thorough  discharge.  After 
the  weariness  of  his  toilsome  working  day,  the  night  comes 
and  God  giveth  his  beloved  sleep.  Let  us  not  too  soon 
forget  the  example  he  set  us. 

In  the  year  1681  it  was  observed  that  there  were 
numerous  cracks  in  the  cupola  of  St.  Peter's  at  Rome  and 
however  filled  in  they  kept  on  widening  until  there  was 
great  alarm  concerning  the  safety  of  this  crowning  work 
of  Michael  Angelo.  Many  theories  were  advanced  and 
at  length  three  eminent  mathematicians  were  selected  to 
examine  and  determine  the  causes  of  the  breaches  and 
suggest  a  remedy.  They  confirmed  the  fears  of  the 
friends  of  art  by  affirming  that  the  pressure  of  weight 
was  greater  than  the  support,  that  ruin  had  been  pre- 
vented so  far  by  an  iron  collar  around  the  base  of  the 
dome.  They  suggested  as  a  remedy  that  six  solid  iron 
girders  be  put  around  the  huge  periphery  of  420  ft. 
After  much  discussion  their  report  was  adopted  and  the 
gigantic  undertaking  begun.  In  1747  the  work  was  com- 
pleted and  by  these  invisible  bands  imbedded  in  the  stone 
work  the  magnificent  dome  has  been  held  in  its  place  and 
after  150  years  no  sign  of  further  damage  appears. 

Such  an  invisible  cordon  of  iron  is  the  spirit  of  faith- 
fulness in  the  architecture  of  character.  Make  it  strong 
and  unyielding  so  that  whatever  pressure  of  interest  or 
affection  or  desire  may  bear  upon  it,  it  may  suffer  not  a 
seam  to  show  itself  in  the  building  you  erect. 

Ladies  and  gentlemen  of  the  class  of  1896,  let  me  urge 
you  to  put  on  this  girdle  your  Redeemer  wore.  Re- 
member the  exhortation  of  Paul  — "  Let  your  loins  be 
girt  about  with  truth." 

Most  of  you,  perhaps  all  of  you,  acknowledge  Him  as 
your  Lord  and  Master.  I  trust  no  one  of  you  will  pass 
out  of  college  without  a  saving  interest  in  Jesus  Christ. 
Then  follow  the  fashion  he  has  set, 


The  Girdle  of  Righteousness  149 

O  Lord  and  Master  of  us  all, 
Whatever  our  name  or  sign, 
We  own  thy  sway,  we  hear  thy  call, 
We  test  our  lives  by  thine. 

Be  faithful  like  him  —  be  faithful  to  him,  strive  to  be 
as  true  to  his  interests  in  the  world  as  he  was  true  to 
yours  by  his  life  and  by  his  cross. 

By  and  by  he  will  come  to  reckon  with  you.  Let  your 
loins  be  girded  and  your  lights  burning  and  ye  yourselves 
like  unto  men  that  wait  for  their  Lord  —  Blessed  are 
those  servants  whom  the  Lord  when  he  cometh  shall  find 
watching. 

To  each  of  you  he  has  given  talents  in  greater  or  less 
number  —  to  some  one,  to  some  two,  to  some  five  —  "  to 
each  according  to  his  several  ability."  What  use  have 
you  made?  —  what  use  do  you  intend  to  make  of  all 
that  is  entrusted  to  you?  Keep  near  to  the  heart  of 
Christ,  keep  Christ  near  to  your  heart,  keep  walking  in 
his  steps  and  you  will  be  ever  ready  for  the  account  you 
must  render  when  he  comes. 

I  have  no  greater  wish  concerning  every  one  of  you 
than  this  —  that  when  life  is  done  you  may  hear  him 
say — "Well  done!  good  and  faithful  servant!  thou  hast 
been  faithful  over  a  few  things,  I  will  make  thee  ruler 
over  many  things;  enter  into  the  joy  of  thy  Lord." 


SERMON  XII,  1897 

BIBLE    ETHICS 

The  law  of  the  Lord  is  perfect. —  Psalm  ig:  7. 
Be  perfect,  even  as  your  Father  which  is  in  heaven  is  perfect. 
—  Matthew  5:  48. 

THE  highest  element  of  man's  complex  being  is  his 
moral  nature.  Evolution  reaches  the  height  of  its 
sublime  attempt  when  it  undertakes  to  account  for  man's 
ethical  condition.  Consciousness  being  the  witness  in  the 
breast  of  all  men  attests  that  conscience  is  supreme  — 
that  the  idea  of  right  which  it  contains  is  superior  to  every 
other  conception  of  the  soul.  Any  religion  claiming  the 
allegiance  of  men  must  be  able  to  stand  the  testing  of 
man's  moral  nature  —  must  keep  pace  with  it  in  its  highly 
developed  state  in  the  best  civilization. 

How  is  it  with  the  religion  of  the  Bible?  Has  civil- 
ization advanced  beyond  it  at  this  crucial  point?  Has  it 
in  any  degree  ceased  to  be  an  ethical  force  in  our  modern 
life?  Or,  if  so,  have  we  only  failed  to  live  in  accord- 
ance with  its  spirit  and  requirements?  Maybe  the  fault 
is  not  with  the  religion,  but  a  lessening  regard  to  it. 
Our  religion  is  less  Biblical  than  before  and  therefore 
ill-adapted  to  the  times.  The  flag  is  still  in  the  van  of 
progress,  but  the  men  have  fallen  behind  it. 

It  will  not  be  a  useless  service  for  us  to  examine  the 
ethics  of  the  Bible  anew.  We  will  find,  I  believe,  that 
its  day  is  still  bright  —  that  its  larger  prevalence  is  the 
need  of  the  hour  —  that  it  gives  promise  of  blessing  to 
the  race  in  all  the  future,  long  after  the  gloomy  prophets 
shall  have  ceased  their  croaking. 

The  ethics  of  the  Bible  is  the  same  in  both  dispensa- 
150 


Bible  Ethics  151 


tions.  The  new  commandment  of  the  Christian  dispen- 
sation is  an  old  commandment  which  men  had  from  the 
beginning.  It  is  as  old  as  Sinai  —  as  old  as  humanity 
itself  with  the  law  written  on  its  heart.  Behind  the 
rugged  exterior  of  the  Mosaic  prohibitions,  there  lies  the 
same  principle  of  love  that  is  reflected  in  the  beautiful 
beatitudes  of  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount.  Much  rough 
scaffolding  that  was  serviceable  enough  in  its  day  is  now 
removed  and  the  essential  fabric  of  divine  law  appears  in 
full  view.  The  one  is  to  the  other  as  a  seed  to  a  flower, 
or  as  the  undeveloped  stock  to  the  mature  plant.  The 
one  is  associated  with  the  unfolding  of  a  blessed  hope  of 
a  coming  Messiah ;  the  other  is  wrought  into  the  very 
texture  of  the  history  of  a  Redeemer  who  has  actually 
come. 

That  summary  of  duty  given  by  the  Saviour  was  sanc- 
tioned by  the  Scribe  who  was  learned  in  the  law  and 
distinctly  connected  with  the  past  by  the  Saviour  himself 
when  he  said  — "  On  these  two  commandments  hang  all 
the  law  and  the  prophets." —  Matt.  22 :  34-40,  Deut. 
6:4,  Lev.  19:  18.  We  may  then  take  the  last  form  of 
the  revelation  and  find  in  it  what  is  the  substance  of  the 
whole.  Christian  ethics  may  engage  our  study  as  the 
full-blown  flower  —  the  fully  developed  form  of  Biblical 
ethics.  What  saith  Christ?  What  say  his  apostles? 
What  was  Christ?  What  were  his  servants  who  fol- 
lowed in  his  steps? 

Ethics  has  been  variously  defined  as  the  science  of  con- 
duct, the  science  of  duty,  the  science  of  moral  character. 
It  has  been  called  the  "  philosophy  of  the  art  of  the  true 
life."  With  a  little  greater  stress  on  the  internal  ele- 
ments of  moral  life,  it  has  been  called  the  "  science  of  self- 
revelation."  It  is  the  character  within  that  is  mani- 
fested in  the  life  without  that  gives  importance  to  con- 
duct. It  is  the  self  —  the  personality  behind  the  act 
that  gives  it  all  its  value. 

Christian  ethics  sets  forth  the  principles  of  morals  in- 


152  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

eluded  in  the  Christian  system.  What  are  the  laws  of 
right  conduct  which  it  announces?  What  are  the  ideals 
with  which  it  awakens  aspirations  after  better  things? 
What  models  does  it  offer  for  our  imitation?  With  what 
thoughts  does  it  constrain  us  to  the  life  of  duty?  Ques- 
tions such  as  these  arise  at  the  very  threshold  of  our  sub- 
ject. 

I.  Christianity  presents  a  high  ethical  standard. 
"  The  law  of  the  Lord  is  perfect."  It  re-affirms  the 
moral  law  contained  in  the  ten  commandments  given  on 
Sinai.  "  Think  not,"  say  Jesus,  "  that  I  am  come  to 
destroy  the  law  and  the  prophets;  I  am  not  come  to 
destroy  but  to  fulfill.  For  verily  I  say  unto  you,  Till 
heaven  and  earth  pass,  one  jot  or  one  tittle  shall  in  no 
wise  pass  from  the  law  till  all  be  fulfilled.  Whosoever 
therefore  shall  break  one  of  these  least  commandments 
and  shall  teach  men  so,  he  shall  be  called  the  least  in  the 
kingdom  of  heaven."  There  is  no  lowering  of  the  de- 
mands of  righteousness.  The  standard  is  absolutely  right 
and  all  moral  beings  in  God's  universe  must  conform  to 
it  or  bear  the  penalty  of  disobedience.  The  morality  of 
the  Bible  is  imperative  and  not  a  matter  of  expediency. 
It  says— "Thou  shalt,"  and  "Thou  shalt  not."  It 
chimes  in  with  the  voice  of  conscience,  declaring  in 
thunder  tones  — "  I  ought." 

During  the  Sesqui-Centennial  celebration  of  Princeton 
University,  President  Patten  was  reported  as  affirming 
that  Princeton  stood  for  "  comparative  morality." 
Whereupon  some  one  scenting  for  heresy  in  an  unlikely 
place  took  exception  to  the  suspicious  phrase,  as  if  the 
mission  of  Princeton  were  the  striking  of  moral  averages. 
But  the  report  was  a  misrepresentation  that  was  corrected 
in  a  subsequent  issue  by  substituting  "  imperative "  for 
"  comparative,"  so  as  to  make  the  famous  institution,  in- 
stead of  a  leveller,  a  staunch  defender  of  the  old  morality, 
with  the  categorical  imperative  of  conscience  behind  it 
and   the   sanction   of   the   Bible  signature  —  Thus  saith 


Bible  Ethics  153 


the  Lord.  The  Bible  keeps  the  conscience  in  the  place 
of  command  where  nature  placed  it.  It  only  clarifies  its 
decisions  and  re-inforces  its  authority.  It  never  encour- 
ages indifference,  nor  balancing  of  results  in  human  hap- 
piness, but  proclaims  the  imperative  obligation  of  the 
divine  commands.  It  is  the  voice  of  God  we  hear  and 
there  is  nothing  for  us  to  do  but  to  obey. 

This  moral  obligation  extends  to  every  moral  being  and 
every  moral  act.  Thus  the  Bible  emphasizes  the  im- 
portance of  the  individual  —  something  greatly  needed 
in  a  time  like  ours  when  so  many  industrial,  social,  and 
philosophic  foes  to  individuality  are  found.  It  singles 
each  man  out  from  the  mass  and  addresses  him  in  warn- 
ing or  entreaty  or  command.  It  presses  upon  him  the 
thought  of  his  own  responsibility  for  his  acts  —  that  be- 
fore the  infallible  tribunal  every  man  must  bear  his  own 
burden.  Every  word  and  thought  and  purpose  —  every 
secret  thing,  will  be  tested  by  the  moral  law  and  ap- 
proved or  disapproved  in  the  day  of  judgment.  As  the 
law  of  gravitation  pervades  all  nature  and  equally  holds 
a  world  in  space  or  attracts  a  falling  apple  to  the  earth 
or  a  particle  of  matter  to  its  fellow,  so  the  moral  law  of 
God  reigns  in  the  world  of  moral  action,  holding  sway 
over  prince  and  peasant,  over  thought  and  word  and 
deed,  over  feeling  and  desire.  We  cannot  escape  it,  we 
cannot  conjure  it  away.  We  may  dismiss  it  from  our 
thoughts  but  we  cannot  get  it  out  of  its  realm  and  sooner 
or  later  the  law-breaker  will  come  to  grief.  "  Be  sure 
your  sin  will  find  you  out." 

What  now  does  the  moral  law  contain  ?  What  is  its  es- 
sence as  interpreted  in  the  New  Testament?  What  is 
the  distinctive  content  of  Christian  ethics? 

It  is  not  necessary  that  we  refuse  all  credit  to  heathen 
moralists.  We  may  acknowledge  that  many  beautiful 
and  true  sentiments,  many  right  principles  were  taught 
by  Socrates  and  Plato  and  Aristotle  and  Seneca  and 
Cicero  and  others.     We  may  even  admit  that  there  is 


154  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

scarcely  any  Christian  virtue  that  has  not  some  feeble 
adumbration  somewhere  in  their  writings  or  reported  con- 
versations and  that  the  Christian  may  be  benefitted  by 
reading  such  a  treatise  as  the  "  Nicomachean  Ethics  of 
Aristotle,"  at  least  as  much  as  by  reading  Spencer's, 
"  Data  of  Ethics,"  or  even  the  writings  of  some  Christian 
philosophers.  What  then  has  Christ  added  to  morality? 
I.  The  morality  of  Christ  is  peculiar  in  its  complete- 
ness. There  is  not  one  of  the  great  names  of  antiquity 
that  gives  a  rounded,  flawless  system.  Plato  introduced 
such  vagaries  into  his  plan  of  human  relations  as  would 
in  our  time  take  him  at  once  out  of  the  list  of  sober 
advisers.  Aristotle,  whom  Dr.  Thornwell,  a  competent 
judge  in  this  line,  pronounced  the  author  of  the  "  finest 
discussion  in  the  whole  compass  of  ancient  philosophy," 
could  advise  the  heartless  exposure  of  sickly  infants.  We 
read  with  kindling,  glowing  admiration  the  story  of  the 
death  of  Socrates.  We  place  him  among  the  heroes  who 
calmly  and  without  complaint  die  for  a  cause.  He  seems 
to  us  like  the  one  great  man  of  his  time  —  a  great  teacher 
and  a  great  character.  But  he  had  his  limitations.  His 
domestic  life  will  not  bear  scrutiny  and  even  in  the  clos- 
ing scenes  his  family  are  dismissed  that  he  may  converse 
with  his  friends.  Xenophon,  his  loyal  friend,  years  after 
his  death,  records  his  impressions  and  recollections  of  the 
man  and  his  conversations.  But  there  is  a  fly  in  the 
ointment  —  Socrates  would  have  stood  better  with  the 
world  if  some  conversations  had  not  been  reported.  As 
we  come  upon  his  advice  to  an  immoral  woman  how  to 
use  her  charms  so  as  to  captivate  the  unwary,  we  are 
shocked  and  he  at  once  descends  to  a  lower  moral  rank 
in  our  estimation.  How  different  from  all  these  partial, 
imperfect  teachers  is  Christ.  Says  Dr.  Peabody — "The 
peculiarity  of  Christ  is  that  he  brought  all  moral  laws 
together,  so  that  we  find  nothing  lacking  in  his  morality, 
while  at  the  same  time  there  is  nothing  that  ought  not 


Bible  Ethics  155 


to  be  there."  It  is  the  symmetry  of  his  character  and 
teaching  that  makes  them  unique. 

2.  The  morality  of  Christ  is  peculiar  in  the  emphasis 
it  places  on  the  milder  virtues.  It  exalts  meekness  and 
patience  and  gentleness,  forgiveness  and  charity,  brotherly- 
kindness  and  courtesy.  Aristotle  does  talk  of  meekness 
as  a  "  mean  state  on  the  subject  of  angry  feelings,"  and 
then  damns  it  with  faint  praise.  "  The  meek  man  seems 
to  err  rather  on  the  side  of  defect;  for  he  is  not  inclined 
to  revenge  but  rather  to  forgive."  ..."  It  is  like  a  slave 
to  endure  insults  offered  to  one's  self  and  to  overlook  them 
when  offered  to  one's  relations."  Seneca  writes  an  essay 
upon  Anger,  in  which  he  tells  us  of  the  insolence  of  an 
Athenian  ambassador  toward  Philip  of  Macedon  which 
called  forth  the  admirable  counsel  of  Philip  — "  Pray  tell 
the  Athenians,  that  it  is  worse,  to  speak  such  things  than 
to  hear  and  forgive  them."  Yet  Seneca  pleads  for  and 
practices  suicide,  which  flees  away  from  the  will  of  God 
instead  of  yielding  to  it. 

But  how  different  it  is  with  Christ.  These  less  con- 
spicuous virtues  are  everywhere  commended  in  the  New 
Testament.  They  constitute  the  very  atmosphere  which 
the  Christian  religion  creates.  Read  the  Sermon  on  the 
Mount  once  more  —  that  early  declaration  of  principles 
of  the  kingdom  of  God.  Matt.  5 :  3-10.  "  Blessed  are 
the  poor  in  spirit.  .  .  .  Blessed  are  they  that  mourn.  .  .  . 
Blessed  are  the  meek.  .  .  .  Blessed  they  which  do  hunger 
and  thirst  after  righteousness.  .  .  .  Blessed  are  the  merci- 
ful. .  .  .  Blessed  are  the  pure  in  heart.  .  .  .  Blessed  are 
the  peace-makers.  .  .  .  Blessed  are  they  which  are  perse- 
cuted for  righteousness'  sake."  Take  up  any  epistle  of 
Paul  or  of  Peter  or  of  John  and  you  will  scarcely  fail  to 
find  the  same  lessons  reproduced.  Rom.  12:  10,  17-21. 
— "  Recompense  to  no  man  evil  for  evil.  ...  If  it  be 
possible,  as  much  as  lieth  in  you  live  peaceably  with 
all  men.  ...  Be  not  overcome  of  evil  but  overcome  evil 


156  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

with  good."  (Eph.  4;  31,  32  —  Let  all  bitterness,  etc. 
4:  i— 3-)  James  3:17  —  The  wisdom  that  is  from  above, 
etc.)  1  Pet.  2:20.  "What  glory  is  it  if  when  ye  be 
buffeted  for  your  faults,  ye  shall  take  it  patiently?  But 
if,  when  ye  do  well,  and  suffer  for  it,  ye  take  it  patiently, 
this  is  acceptable  with  God.  For  even  hereunto  were  ye 
called ;  because  Christ  also  suffered  for  us,  leaving  us  an 
example  that  ye  should  follow  his  steps." 

Paley  says,  "  The  preference  of  the  patient  to  the  heroic 
character  is  a  peculiarity  of  the  Christian  institution," 
and  affirms  that  "  no  two  things  can  be  more  different 
than  the  heroic  and  the  Christian  character."  I  should 
rather  say  that  patience  and  courage  are  twin  graces. 
Each  involves  superiority  to  pain  which  may  be  either 
endured  or  resisted.  He  who  bears  patiently  is  in  the 
highest  sense  heroic.  Grant  was  not  less  a  hero  on  Mt. 
McGregor  than  in  the  campaign  of  Vicksburg.  There  is 
a  bravery  of  the  pugilist  and  the  foolhardy.  But  is  it 
as  noble  and  admirable  as  that  of  the  man  who  welcomes 
hardships  and  privations,  hunger  and  cold  that  he  may 
carry  salvation  to  the  perishing?  If  Paul  be  an  example 
of  the  virtues  he  so  strongly  urged,  of  humility,  forgive- 
ness and  kindness,  he  was  none  the  less  but  all  the  more 
a  man  of  heroic  mould,  counting  not  his  life  dear  unto 
him  that  he  might  compass  the  ends  of  his  blessed  ministry. 
Let  us  get  rid  of  the  thought  that  vociferation  has  any- 
thing to  do  with  brave  action,  that  courage  must  ignore 
wisdom.  It  may  be  the  veriest  cowardice  to  do  what 
men  applaud  as  courageous.  It  may  be  the  highest  hero- 
ism to  resist  the  temptation  to  stand  well  with  the  multi- 
tude. The  glory  of  the  Christian  morality  is  that  it 
weds  again  what  the  spirit  of  the  world  divorced  —  that 
it  brings  into  perfect  harmony  the  active  and  passive  vir- 
tues. The  Christian  religion  teaches  us  to  undertake 
great  things  on  the  one  hand  and  to  endure  all  things  on 
the  other. 

3.  The  morality  of  the  Gospel  is  peculiar  in  the  central 


Bible  Ethics  157 


place  it  gives  to  love  to  man.  In  one  view  this  is  not  new, 
for  the  second  table  of  the  law  is — "Thou  shalt  love 
thy  neighbor."  The  scope  of  neighborhood  is  enlarged  so 
as  to  include  the  whole  human  race.  Whoever  belongs 
to  humanity  should  be  the  object  of  our  love.  Let  the 
Jew  love  the  Samaritan ;  let  the  Christian  love  his  enemy 
and  do  good  to  him.  Says  the  author  of  "  Ecce  Homo  " 
— "  While  the  new  morality  incorporated  into  itself  the 
old,  how  much  ampler  was  its  compass.  A  new  continent 
in  the  moral  globe  was  discovered.  Positive  morality 
took  its  place  by  the  side  of  negative.  To  the  duty  of 
not  doing  harm,  which  may  be  called  justice,  was  added 
the  duty  of  doing  good,  which  may  properly  receive  the 
distinctively  Christian  name  of  Charity." 

Personal  holiness  is  not  ignored.  "  Be  ye  perfect  as 
your  Father  in  heaven  is  perfect,"  is  a  command  of  Christ. 
But  holiness  is  best  expressed  in  service  and  service  best 
develops  holiness.  A  life  that  terminates  on  self  is  in- 
complete. Like  the  spring  that  keeps  itself  fresh  and 
sweet  by  pouring  its  waters  out  to  gladden  the  earth, 
so  the  soul  is  sanctified  as  it  blesses  mankind  by  loving 
service.  What  a  eulogy  of  love  is  that  of  Paul  in  the 
13th  of  Corinthians?  "  Love  suffereth  long  and  is  kind; 
love  envieth  not;  love  vaunteth  not  itself,  is  not  puffed 
up,  doth  not  behave  itself  unseemly,  seeketh  not  her  own, 
is  not  easily  provoked,  thinketh  no  evil  .  .  .  beareth  all 
things,  believeth  all  things,  hopeth  all  things,  endureth 
all  things.  .  .  .  Now  abideth  faith,  hope,  love,  these 
three;  but  the  greatest  of  these  is  love."  What  patience! 
What  self-forgetfulness !  What  blindness  to  faults! 
What  hopefulness!  is  here  expressed.  There  is  nothing 
too  hard  for  Christian  love  —  for  that  enthusiasm  for 
humanity  that  is  inculcated  and  infused  by  the  Gospel. 
It  can  carry  a  refined  woman  into  unkempt  vermin-in- 
fested huts  that  she  may  tell  the  story  of  salvation.  It 
can  support  the  missionary  as  he  travels  through  swamps 
and  jungles,   sometimes  sick   and   sometimes  assailed  by 


158  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

those  he  seeks  to  save.  It  can  drive  a  Shaftsbury  out  at 
midnight  from  a  home  of  elegance  and  comfort  to  watch 
for  the  soul  of  a  street  Arab.  "  Love  never  faileth," — 
nay,  love  must  not  fail  from  the  life  of  the  Church,  else 
the  morality  of  Christ  will  be  vitiated  at  its  very  founda- 
tion, will  be  stricken  at  its  very  heart.  "  Love  is  the 
fulfilling  of  the  law." 

The  night  has  a  thousand  eyes 

And  the  day  but  one ; 
Yet  the  light  of  the  whole  world  dies 

With  the  setting  sun. 

The  mind  has  a  thousand  eyes 

And  the  heart  but  one ; 
Yet  the  light  of  a  whole  life  dies 

When  love  is  done. 

II.  Christianity  is  an  ethical  force.  It  is  more  than  a 
system  of  morals.  It  is  first  of  all  a  religion,  while  re- 
flecting the  moral  image  of  its  divine  author,  and  the 
religion  secures  sway  from  the  morality. 

It  furnishes  a  model  for  right  living  in  the  perfect 
life  of  Jesus.  His  example  illuminates  the  ideal  life 
which  his  precepts  set  forth.  It  might  have  been  consid- 
ered before  this  as  the  embodiment  of  the  standard.  But 
we  look  upon  it  now  rather  as  a  means  of  influence  — 
as  a  powerful  incentive  to  good.  The  power  of  example 
is  proverbial.  We  are  imitative,  impressible  creatures 
from  childhood  till  the  end  of  life.  A  few  persons  begin 
to  stare  in  pity  and  dismay  at  a  fainting  woman  and  a 
whole  audience  rises  to  imitate  their  action.  Spontane- 
ously we  laugh  or  yawn  or  cry  with  others.  A  man  or 
woman  in  conspicuous  place  is  seen  of  many  and  all  who 
look  upon  them,  especially  if  it  be  with  interest  and  ap- 
proval, become  assimilated  to  them.  As  we  read  the  life 
of  a  man,  we  come  into  a  sort  of  fellowship  with  him 


Bible  Ethics  159 


and  as  face  answers  to  face  in  the  mirroring  water,  so 
we  become  like  the  men  whose  biographies  we  read. 

What  a  stream  of  holy  influence  issues  forth  from  the 
life  of  Jesus  as  we  come  into  touch  with  it  in  the  believ- 
ing, sympathetic  study  of  it  in  the  Gospels.  John  Stuart 
Mill,  though  educated  from  childhood  into  irreligion,  says 
this  of  Jesus — "  Not  even  now  could  it  be  easy  for  an 
unbeliever  to  find  a  better  translation  of  the  rule  of  virtue 
from  the  abstract  to  the  concrete  than  to  endeavor  so  to 
live  that  Christ  would  approve  our  life."  We  learn  what 
Christ  would  approve  by  what  he  said  and  did  —  by  the 
concrete  testimony  of  his  spotless  life.  It  is  his  example 
of  passionate  regard  for  humanity  that  is  kindling  the 
fires  of  philanthropy  and  missionary  zeal  in  Christian 
hearts  everywhere,  and  leading  the  nations  forward,  in 
spite  of  reactionary  action  of  political  leaders  to  universal 
peace. 

The  ethical  force  of  Christianity  arises  not  only  from 
the  model  but  from  the  motives  it  furnishes.  His  example 
is  only  one  of  many  incentives  to  a  right  life.  They 
spring  out  of  the  religion  —  the  redemption  of  Christ. 

Ely  in  his  "  Economics  "  remarks  incidentally  — "  The 
greatest  thing  in  human  life  is  its  incentives."  Without 
them  action  is  routine  and  drudgery  —  a  mechanic  thing 
—  a  shell  —  a  sham. 

It  is  at  this  point  that  merely  human  systems  have 
failed.  They  lacked  motive  force  and,  therefore,  did  not 
powerfully  influence  even  the  few  who  received  them. 
How  different  with  Christianity!  How  clear  and  lumin- 
ous its  announcement  of  the  immortality  of  the  soul! 
How  solemn  its  appeal  to  the  hereafter  with  its  rewards 
and  punishments!  It  does  not  attach  the  soul  to  an  ice- 
berg of  abstractions,  but  brings  it  into  contact  with  the 
warm,  living,  sympathetic  spirit  of  a  personal  God.  It 
teaches  men  to  say  — "  Our  Father  who  art  in  heaven," 
and  in  the  communion  of  worship  we  become  like  him. 
Realizing  our  common   fatherhood   in   God,   we  cannot 


160  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

fail  to  recognize  at  the  same  time  the  brotherhood  of  men. 
The  religion  of  Christ  thus  provides  in  its  very  funda- 
mental principles  the  motives  that  give  power  to  Christian 
morals. 

But  there  are  even  stronger  and  more  characteristic 
motives  than  these,  springing  out  of  the  cross  of  the  Re- 
deemer. Christian  friends,  what  is  it  that  constrains  you 
to  practical  Godliness?  What  moves  you  to  be  patient 
and  brave,  pure  and  strong?  What  makes  you  wish  to 
put  your  steps  in  his  as  you  trace  them  in  his  word?  Is 
it  not  gratitude  that  attracts  you  to  his  side  in  loving  con- 
formity to  his  will?  Is  it  not  love  feebly  answering  his 
that  lifts  the  commonest  meanest  act  out  of  the  hell  of 
drudgery  into  the  heaven  of  service?  Is  it  not  the  abiding 
sense  of  his  love  as  seen  in  his  cross  that  constrains  you  tc 
live  not  unto  yourself  but  unto  Him  who  died  for  you  and 
rose  again? 

Alas,  it  is  sometimes  true  that  even  these  motives  do 
not  operate  as  they  ought.  Why  is  it?  Have  we  ceased 
to  love  Him  who  redeemed  us?  Has  the  impress  of  his 
love  passed  from  our  souls?  A  soldier  in  the  army  of 
Napoleon,  when  a  shell  fell  near  by,  sprang  between  the 
emperor  and  the  shell  to  shield  his  master's  life  at  the 
risk  of  his  own.  The  act  extorted  from  the  lips  of 
Napoleon  the  words  of  admiration  — "  What  a  soldier !  " 
Who  among  us  is  ready  to  fling  ourselves  into  the  breach 
for  Christ  and  his  cause?  What  meaning  would  these 
words  have  concerning  any  one  of  us?  Would  it  sound 
like  eulogy  or  derision  if  the  Master  should  say  of  us  — 
"What  a  soldier!" 

Let  us  further  add  that  the  ethical  force  of  our  religion 
arises  from  the  fact  that  Christianity  is  a  life.  It  takes 
account  of  sin  —  of  man's  spiritual  impotence  —  of  the 
need  of  divine  favor  and  help.  It  brings  God  to  the 
aid  of  reason,  conscience  and  will.  Men  are  begotten 
again  by  the  Gospel  and  brought  into  living  union  with 
the    life-giving    Person    of    Jesus    Christ.     At    the   very 


Bible  Ethics  161 


threshold  of  the  kingdom,  we  hear  the  distinct  alterna- 
tive— "  He  that  believeth  on  the  Son  hath  everlasting 
life;  but  he  that  believeth  not  the  Son  shall  not  see  life, 
but  the  wrath  of  God  abideth  on  him."  Life  not  only 
lies  in  God's  favor,  but  courses  through  the  soul,  renew- 
ing and  vitalizing  every  faculty  and  principle.  Among 
the  last  words  of  the  Saviour  to  his  disciples  were  these, — 
"  Abide  in  me  and  I  in  you.  As  the  branch  cannot  bear 
fruit  of  itself,  except  it  abide  in  the  vine;  no  more  can 
ye  except  ye  abide  in  me.  I  am  the  vine,  ye  are  the 
branches;  he  that  abideth  in  me  and  I  in  him,  the  same 
bringeth  forth  much  fruit ;  for  without  me  ye  can  do  noth- 
ing." Here  is  the  secret  of  holiness  —  real  heart-holi- 
ness. Without  this  union  of  life  with  Christ  Jesus,  even 
the  morality  of  the  Bible  would  be  a  dead  morality. 
Only  when  faith  unites  us  to  Christ  and  by  unremitted 
exercise  keeps  us  in  fellowship  with  him  —  only  when 
the  regenerating,  invigorating  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost 
is  experienced,  is  there  the  principle  and  potency  of  a 
new  life.  Then  will  be  produced  —  not  the  obedience  of 
the  letter  merely  —  nor  mere  imitations  of  living  things, 
but  the  real  fruits  and  flowers  of  holy  living.  Think 
not  that  you  can  illustrate  the  Christian  morality  apart 
from  Christ.  The  infidel  may  indeed  breathe  in  the  at- 
mosphere of  Christendom  and  plume  himself  on  his  good 
life  without  owning  the  debt  he  owes  to  his  Christian 
environment.  But  every  truly  Christian  virtue  is  a  grace 
—  a  gift  of  God  —  and  only  adorns  those  who  are  par- 
takers of  the  grace  of  God  in  Christ.  The  fruit  of  the 
Spirit  is  love,  joy,  peace,  long-suffering,  gentleness. 

As  we  asked  at  the  beginning,  let  us  ask  again  —  How 
stands  the  religion  of  the  Bible  when  the  20th  century 
is  nearing  the  horizon?  Does  it  meet  the  demands  of 
the  present  civilization?  Was  there  ever  more  need  of 
an  inflexible  standard  such  as  it  gives?  When  social  and 
industrial  problems  are  every  day  growing  in  perplexity 
is  there  not  need  of  calmness  and  patience  and  disinterest- 


1 62  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

edness  and  forgiveness  that  enter  so  largely  into  the 
Christian  ideal  of  manhood?  Will  not  the  meek  inherit 
the  earth  in  our  day?  And  do  we  not  need  the  powerful 
motives  of  the  Gospel  —  motives  from  the  cross  uplifted  in 
the  past  and  from  the  crown  of  immortality  that  looms  up 
in  the  future?  And  is  not  the  Divine  inworking  as  need- 
ful now  as  ever  that  the  Divine  law  may  be  re-written  on 
the  heart  and  man  learn  to  love  his  neighbor  as  he  loves 
himself?  Christianity  is  yet  in  the  vigor  of  its  strength 
and  is  keeping  pace  with  the  world  as  it  advances  toward 
the  millennium  of  perfected  brotherhood.  Its  eye  is  on  the 
future  and  nothing  can  disappoint  its  hope  for  itself  and 
the  world. 

He  has  sounded  forth  the  trumpet  that  shall  never  call 

retreat, 
He  is  sifting  out  the  hearts  of  men  before  his  judgment 

seat, 
Oh!  be  swift  my  soul  to  answer  him!  be  jubilant,  my  feet! 
Our  God  is  marching  on. 

In  the  beauty  of  the  lilies  Christ  was  born  across  the  sea, 
With  a  glory  in  his  bosom  that  transfigures  you  and  me, 
As  He  died  to  make  men  holy,  let  us  die  to  make  men 
free! 

While  God  is  marching  on. 

We  are  just  beginning  to  learn  the  meaning  of  —  Thou 
shalt  love  thy  neighbor.  Let  us  march  on  with  God  — 
enlarging  our  view  —  widening  our  sympathies  —  till 
everywhere  every  man  possesses  to  the  full  the  heritage 
that  comes  to  him  from  God. 

Young  men  and  women  of  the  class  of  1897,  let  me 
bespeak  from  every  one  of  you  a  life  of  unspotted  morality. 
Be  centres  of  influence  wherever  you  go  in  favor  of  sound 
morals.     Culture   is   a   great   word,   but   character   is   a 


Bible  Ethics  163 

greater.  Let  a  noble  character  shine  out  in  your  every 
word  and  act. 

Take  this  Bible  for  your  guide.  Let  it  be  the  light  to 
your  feet  and  the  lamp  to  your  path.  Consult  it  often 
1  —  consult  it  thoughtfully  —  consult  it  prayerf ullly  — 
consult  it  daily.  Its  morality  may  be  considered  a  little 
old-fashioned  in  some  places,  but  it  will  be  none  the  less 
adapted  to  the  times.  By  it  your  father  and  mother  have 
squared  their  lives  and  commended  themselves  to  their 
generation.  Follow  in  their  footsteps  and  you  will 
commend  yourselves  to  yours.  Live  moral  lives,  yet  be 
not  mere  moralists.  Let  your  morality  spring  out  of 
your  religion.  Be  men  and  women  of  God.  Be  Christ- 
filled  and  Christ-like.  Seek  large  measures  of  the  enlight- 
ening and  renewing  Spirit.  Then  live  according  to  the 
larger  light  you  receive  and  you  will  adorn  the  doctrine 
of  God  our  Saviour  on  earth  and  make  yourselves  ready 
for  the  inheritance  of  the  saints  in  light.  As  the  aged 
John  wrote  to  his  children  in  the  Gospel  in  his  third  letter, 
so  let  me  say  to  you  as  you  pass  out  from  under  our  care, 
— "  Greater  joy  have  I  none  than  this,  to  hear  of  my 
children  walking  in  the  truth." 

"  Now  I  pray  to  God  that  ye  do  no  evil;  not  that  we 
should  appear  approved,  but  that  ye  should  do  that  which 
is  honorable,  though  we  be  as  reprobates.  For  we  can 
do  nothing  against  the  truth  but  for  the  truth.  For  we 
rejoice  when  we  are  weak  and  ye  are  strong;  for  this  also 
we  wish  even  your  perfection." 

"  The  law  of  the  Lord  is  perfect.  Be  ye  perfect  as 
your  heavenly  Father  is  perfect." 


SERMON  XIII,  1898 

WORK 

/  must  work  the  works  of  Him  that  sent  me  while  it  is  day. — 
John  g:  4.. 

IN  any  occupation  or  course  of  life  there  will  come  oc- 
casions of  doing  good.  "It  was  as  Jesus  passed  forth 
from  thence  he  saw  a  man  named  Matthew  (9:  9)  sitting 
at  the  receipt  of  custom,  and  he  saith  unto  him,  Follow 
me,  And  he  arose  and  followed  him."  It  was  as  Jesus 
passed  by  he  saw  a  man  which  was  blind  from  his  birth, 
— "  and  he  prescribed  a  way  for  his  recovery  and  he 
washed  and  came  seeing."  In  both  these  instances  what 
Jesus  saw  in  the  most  casual  way  gave  direction  to  his 
action.  In  the  one  case  he  won  a  soul  for  his  service, 
in  the  other  he  brought  relief  to  a  sufferer.  So  he  lived 
his  life,  taking  advantage  of  circumstances  as  they  arose 
to  fulfil  his  mission  of  mercy  and  grace.  As  he  passed 
along  he  found  the  occasions  of  his  greatest  service. 

It  may  be  so  with  us,  if  we  only  have  something  to  give 
out  and  are  watchful  for  the  opportunity  to  do  so.  But 
if  we  pass  along  with  our  eyes  closed  and  our  souls  empty, 
if  we  are  either  barren  or  blind,  we  lose  the  chances  of 
doing  good  that  are  ever  opening  as  we  go. 

As  you  or  I  pass  by  is  anyone  the  better  for  it?  You 
pass  this  way  but  once,  what  springs  of  action  are  you 
touching?  What  footprints  are  you  leaving  behind  you? 
Are  you  awakening  in  your  companion  any  thrill  of  holy 
purpose?  Are  you  putting  out  your  hand  to  check  him 
in  a  career  of  recklessness  and  folly?  We  touch  other 
lives  as  we  go  by,  and  by  silent  influence,  or  conscious  act, 
or  timely  word,  we  may,  like  Jesus,  bless  them  for  both 

164 


Work  165 

worlds.  Whether  we  will  or  not  will  depend  on  whether 
or  not  we  catch  the  spirit  of  our  Master  and  model  our 
lives  after  his.  What  earnestness  is  expressed  here! 
What  depth!  What  intensity!  What  compulsion  of 
love!  As  he  passed  along,  at  sight  of  a  poor  blind  man, 
the  impulses  of  a  love  that  passes  knowledge  already 
stirring  within  him,  he  says  to  his  disciples, — "  I  must 
work  the  works  of  him  that  sent  me  while  it  is  day,  for 
the  night  cometh  when  no  man  can  work." 

These  words  indicate  that  Jesus  recognized, 

I.  The  necessity  of  Work.  He  says,  "  I  must  work." 
That  was  the  law  of  his  being  —  the  impulse  of  his  un- 
spoiled nature,  that  had  never  been  lethargized  by  sin. 

All  nature  is  busy.  Matter  is  inert,  we  say;  yet  there 
is  not  a  particle  that  does  not  gravitate  toward  and  act 
upon  its  fellow.  And  what  abounding  activity  we  see 
in  all  forms  of  life!  The  seed  sown  reaches  out  thread- 
like hands  to  appropriate  the  elements  of  the  soil  for  its 
development;  it  reaches  upward  through  the  sod  and 
toward  the  sky;  it  responds  to  the  embrace  of  the  air  and 
the  kiss  of  sunlight;  it  shoots  forth  and  buds,  and 
blossoms,  and  bears  fruit.  How  all  nature  seems  to  leap 
in  the  spring-time  into  myriad  forms  of  blade,  and  leaf, 
and  flower,  covering  the  fields  with  fragrance.  A  giant 
spirit  awakes  and  with  invisible  hands  more  deft  than 
any  woman's,  weaves  a  covering  of  beauty  for  the  earth. 
Everywhere  there  is  movement,  and  energy  and  victory. 

All  forms  of  animal  life  begin,  too,  to  creep  or  fly  forth 
after  the  long  sleep  of  winter.  The  lambs  play  upon  the 
hill-side  and  the  forests  become  vocal  with  the  songs  of  the 
birds.  "  All  nature  seems  at  work.  Slugs  leave  their 
lair  —  the  bees  are  stirring  —  birds  are  on  the  wing  — 
and  winter  slumbering  in  the  open  air,  wears  on  his  smiling 
face  a  dream  of  Spring,  and  I,  the  while,  the  sole  unbusy 
thing,  nor  honey  make,  nor  pair,  nor  build,  nor  sing." 

Shall  this  word  of  the  poet  be  exemplified  in  the  life 
of  any  one  of  us?     Shall  men  or  women  be  the  "  sole  un- 


1 66  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

busy  thing,"  in  this  busy  world  of  God?  Let  it  not  be 
so!  Rather  let  nature  shame  us  into  activity.  Let  it 
stimulate  us  to  purposeful,  laborious  work  that  exceeds 
the  bounds  of  nature  herself.  It  is  a  false  sentiment  that 
makes  idleness  respectable,  that  makes  one  shrink  from 
honorable  labor.  To  the  simpering,  shallow  boast  — "  I 
do  not  need  to  work,"  Jesus  answers  — "  I  do  need  to 
work  —  I  must  work."  He  emphasizes  the  teaching  of 
nature,  that  idle  hands  and  idle  minds  are  a  monstrosity 
in  a  universe  like  ours.  He  re-announces  the  old  com- 
mand of  the  decalogue  — "  Six  days  shalt  thou  labor." 
He  prepares  us  to  hear  the  command  of  Paul  that,  "  If 
any  would  not  work,  neither  should  he  eat." 

The  first  work  of  Jesus  of  which  we  hear  was  work 
with  the  hands.  Like  every  young  Jew,  he  learned  a 
trade  and  worked  with  his  father  at  the  carpenter's  bench. 
He  was  reared  according  to  the  Rabbinical  principle, 
that,  "  Whoever  does  not  teach  his  son  a  trade  is  as  if  he 
brought  him  up  to  be  a  robber."  He  was  the  carpenter 
and  the  carpenter's  son.  Every  tradesman  may  walk  the 
earth  with  a  loftier  step  because  of  his  fellowship  with 
Jesus  in  manual  labor.  One  of  the  recent  English  poets 
describes  the  feeling  of  Kinship  with  Joseph,  the  Car- 
penter, in  the  following  homely  verses  — 

Isn't  this  Joseph's  Son?  —  ay,  it  is  He; 
Joseph,  the  Carpenter, — same  trade  as  me, 
I  thought  as  I'd  find  it —  I  knew  it  was  here, 
But  my  sight's  getting  queer. 

I  don't  know  right  where  as  His  shed  must  ha'  stood, 
But  often  as  I've  been  a-planing  my  wood, 
I've  took  off  my  hat  just  with  thinking  of  He 
At  the  same  work  as  me. 

He  wa'nt  that  set  up  that  he  couldn't  stoop  down 
And  work  in  the  country  for  folks  in  the  town, 


Work  167 

And  I'll  warrant  he  felt  a  bit  pride,  like  I've  done, 
At  a  good  job  begun. 

I  think  of  as  how  not  the  parson  hissen 
As  a  teacher  and  father  and  shepherd  of  men, 
Not  he  knows  as  much  of  the  Lord  in  that  shed, 
Where  he  earned  his  own  bread. 

Nothing  could  be  more  fitting  than  that  Jesus  should 
appear  in  such  a  form.  Had  he  appeared  as  a  king  or  a 
courtier,  a  priest,  or  a  Dives,  how  different  the  relation 
he  would  sustain  to  men.  He  would  be  separated  from 
them  by  the  conventional  barriers  of  rank  and  place.  It 
is  easy  enough  for  the  King  to  descend  to  the  humble 
toilers,  but  not  so  easy  for  the  toiler  to  be  unembarrassed 
in  approach  to  the  King.  Jesus  was  conspicuous  only  by 
his  worth.  He  stood  forth  in  the  dignity  of  his  own 
noble  nature.  He  thus  put  honor  upon  common  manhood 
—  upon  the  lowest  as  well  as  the  highest.  How  can  any 
follower  of  Jesus  think  or  speak  disparagingly  of  those 
on  whom  Jesus  himself  puts  honor  by  his  own  toil?  How 
silly  is  that  pride  of  idleness  —  that  looks  down  upon  the 
man  or  woman  that  serves  by  honorable  labor  —  that 
gives  not  sympathy  but  scorn  to  those  who  — 

Work  —  work  —  work, 

From  weary  chime  to  chime 

Till  the  heart  is  sick  and  the  brain  benumbed 

As  well  as  the  weary  hand. 

Let  the  Christ  spirit  prevail  and  a  wider  sympathy  will 
bind  every  man  to  his  fellow,  and  unite  all  in  a  common 
brotherhood,  showing  itself  in  a  mutual  service. 

At  the  age  of  thirty  he  entered  upon  a  new  line  of  work. 
He  became  a  teacher,  a  preacher,  a  philanthropist.  It 
was  no  uncommon  thing,  Edersheim  tells  us,  "  for  the 
rabbis  to  rise  from  the  humble  walks  of  life.     Hillel  was 


1 68  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

a  wood-cutter ;  his  rival,  Shammai,  a  carpenter,  and 
among  the  celebrated  Rabbis  of  aftertimes  we  find  shoe- 
makers, tailors,  carpenters,  sandal-makers,  smiths,  potters, 
builders  —  in  short  every  variety  of  trade."  Jesus'  previ- 
ous life  of  manual  labor  seasoned  him  for  the  higher  em- 
ployment. He  learned  patience  and  perseverance  —  he 
grew  in  wisdom  and  in  readiness  for  his  work.  When  he 
entered  upon  it,  it  was  with  no  misgiving,  no  need  of 
experimenting,  no  retracing  of  mistaken  steps.  He 
plunged  into  it  like  one  thoroughly  equipped,  with  a  plan 
fully  developed  in  his  own  mind  and  a  purpose  fully 
formed.  He  wrought  with  untiring  zeal  to  the  end  of 
his  course.  If  there  were  days  of  retirement  and  rest, 
they  were  but  the  husbanding  of  strength  for  further 
labors,  and  were  taken  for  others'  sake  rather  than  his 
own.  He  might  be  weary  at  the  side  of  the  well  of 
Sychar,  but  not  too  weary  to  enter  into  conversation  with 
a  sinful  woman  and  guide  her  footsteps  heavenward.  He 
gave  the  night  as  well  as  the  day  to  his  beneficent  min- 
istry, and  therefore  Nicodemus  was  welcome  to  the  inter- 
view that  settled  his  destiny.  He  was  preaching  in  the 
synagogue  or  by  the  lakeside,  or  in  the  court  of  an 
Oriental  house;  he  was  entering  into  the  distresses  of  men 
and  women,  of  heart-wrung  fathers,  and  widowed 
mothers,  and  orphaned  sisters,  of  the  blind,  and  halt,  and 
diseased,  and  demonized.  It  may  be  all  summarized  in 
the  phrase,  "  He  went  about  doing  good." 

Yes,  the  example  of  Jesus  magnifies  work.  It  pours 
contempt  on  the  idler.  It  rebukes  the  man  or  woman 
who  squanders  life  in  doing  nothing.  Would  that  every 
one  among  you  might  breathe  in  the  spirit  of  Jesus  and 
be  impelled  by  it  to  say  — "  I  must  work."  I  am  an 
immortal  being,  endowed  above  the  sloth  and  the  butter- 
fly; I  feel  within  me  the  instincts  and  aspirations  of  a 
human  soul,  pressing  for  expression: — "  1  must  work." 
I  see  a  world  in  need,  that  lays  just  claim  to  the  service 
I  am  able  to  render;  that  abounds  in  ignorance,  want 


Work  169 

and  sin ;  I  cannot  look  out  upon  it  without  aroused 
sympathies  and  a  sense  of  shame  if  I  put  forth  no  exertion 
for  its  relief  —  /  must  work.  Work  is  the  nourisher  of 
self-respect,  the  source  of  well-being  as  well  as  of  wealth ; 
close  of  kin  to  everything  lofty  in  human  experience. 
"  All  true  work,"  says  Carlyle,  "  is  sacred ;  in  all  true 
work,  were  it  but  handlabor  there  is  something  of  divine- 
ness.  Labor,  wide  as  the  earth,  has  its  summit  in  heaven. 
Sweat  of  the  brow,  and  up  from  that  to  sweat  of  the 
brain;  sweat  of  the  heart, —  up  to  that,  "  agony  of  bloody 
sweat  which  all  men  call  divine.  O  brother!  if  this  is 
not  worship,  then  I  say  the  more  pity;  for  this  is  the 
noblest  thing  yet  discovered  under  God's  sky." 

II.  These  words  declare  the  fact  that  Jesus  was  con- 
scious of  a  divine  mission.  His  work  was  an  allotment 
of  the  Father.  "  I  must  work  the  works  of  Him  that 
sent  me."  Our  Saviour  is  himself  divine.  His  works 
of  infinite  power  and  mercy  are  his  own  as  well  as  the 
Father's.  The  distinct  personality  of  each  is  implied  in 
the  words,  "  Him  that  sent  me."  But  they  are  one  in 
substance  and  one  in  purpose.  In  the  account  of  the  heal- 
ing of  the  impotent  man  on  the  Sabbath  day,  the  Jews 
are  represented  as  persecuting  Jesus  for  his  merciful  deed 
because  it  was  done  on  the  Sabbath,  thus  making  the 
Sabbath  a  fetter  instead  of  a  blessing.  Jesus  answered 
them  in  a  way  that  increased  the  offense  to  their  blinded 
eyes — "My  Father  worketh  hitherto  and  I  work." 
They  understood  him  to  assert  his  own  equality  with  God, 
and  sought  the  more  to  kill  him.  But  he  rose  higher 
with  each  attack  declaring  with  tremendous  emphasis  — 
Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  the  Son  can  do  nothing  of 
himself  but  what  he  seeth  the  Father  do ;  for  what  things 
soever  he  doeth,  these  also  doeth  the  Son  likewise.  For 
the  Father  loveth  the  Son  and  showeth  him  all  things 
that  himself  doeth,  and  he  will  show  him  greater  works 
than  these  that  ye  may  marvel.  For  as  the  Father 
raiseth  up  the  dead,  and  quickeneth  them;  even  so  the 


170  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

Son  quickeneth  whom  he  will,  for  the  Father  judgeth 
no  man  but  hath  committed  all  judgment  unto  the  Son, 
that  all  men  should  honor  the  Son,  even  as  they  honor 
the  Father.  He  that  honoreth  not  the  Son  honoreth 
not  the  Father  which  hath  sent  him." 

To  no  mere  creature  could  these  mighty  works  be  com- 
mitted. They  require  the  resources  of  the  infinite  for 
their  fulfilment.  Yet  it  is  as  a  voluntary  subordinate  — 
a  willing  mediator  —  a  Son  in  the  assumed  relation  of 
a  servant  that  all  these  mighty  works  are  done  by  Him. 
They  are  the  works  of  one  sent  —  sent  by  the  Father. 

How  often  he  refers  to  his  appointment  in  the  dis- 
courses recorded  in  the  Gospel  by  John.  "  I  seek  not 
mine  own  will  but  the  will  of  the  Father  which  hath 
sent  me  "  (5 :  30)  ;  "  I  have  greater  witness  than  that  of 
John ;  for  the  works  which  the  Father  hath  given  me 
to  finish  the  same  works  that  I  do  bear  witness  of  me 
that  the  Father  hath  sent  me"  (6:  30)  ;  "  I  came  down 
from  heaven  not  to  do  mine  own  will  but  the  will  of 
Him  that  sent  me"  (7:29);  "I  know  Him  for  I  am 
from  him  and  he  hath  sent  me."  I  have  counted  nineteen 
times  in  which  he  speaks  of  himself  as  one  sent. 

Who  can  describe  the  mission  of  Jesus? 

Who  can  measure  its  tremendous  sweep? 

We  may  say  as  of  no  other,  that  we  read  his  life  and 
know  fully  what  his  mission  was,  for  he  fulfilled  it  per- 
fectly. It  was  not  for  his  own  generation  only,  but  for 
all  the  generations  of  men.  It  was  the  opening  of  a 
fountain  that  has  been  pouring  blessing  through  all  ranks, 
and  times  and  climes.  It  was  the  germination  of  a  seed 
that  has  shot  forth  branches  which  extend  inviting 
shelter  to  all  the  nations  and  races  of  the  world.  Though 
we  cannot  fathom  its  meaning  and  follow  it  out  to  its 
farthest  reach  of  application,  we  summarize  it  in  fitting 
expressions  from  the  word  itself.  He  came  to  do  God's 
will  — "  Lo,  I  come  to  do  thy  will,  O  God."  He  came 
to  fulfil  all  righteousness  by   personal  obedience  to  the 


Work  171 

divine  law.  He  came  to  set  us  an  example  that  we 
should  walk  in  his  steps.  More  than  all,  he  came  to 
save  sinners  —  to  seek  and  save  the  lost.  His  grand  mis- 
sion was  to  bring  salvation  to  a  lost  world,  and  he  could 
not  slacken  his  efforts  till  it  was  accomplished.  At  a  later 
hour  in  his  life,  as  he  is  talking  with  the  Father,  we  hear 
him  exulting  in  the  completion  of  it.  "  I  have  finished 
the  work  thou  gavest  me  to  do."  And  when  at  last  he 
breathed  out  his  life  on  the  cross,  pouring  out  his  life- 
blood  on  the  altar  of  humanity,  he  cried  with  a  loud 
voice — "It  is  finished!  It  is  finished!"  His  mission 
is  accomplished  and  the  world  is  redeemed. 

"  Him  that  sent  me," —  may  these  words  be  echoed  by 
others  besides  Jesus?  We  read  of  another — "  There  was 
a  man  sent  from  God  whose  name  was  John."  Can  we 
put  any  man's  name  into  that  sentence  and  express  the 
truth?  Has  God  sent  ordinary  men  and  women  into 
the  world  to  subserve  an  end  ?  Have  you  and  I  a  mission 
to  perform  from  which  we  cannot  escape?  We  may  not 
be  able  to  accept  the  view  that  design  is  intuitively  dis- 
cerned in  everything  —  in  the  clod  of  the  valley  as  well 
as  in  the  wondrous  mechanism  of  the  eye.  But  can  we 
deny  that  every  man  shows  marks  of  design  in  his  own 
being  and  in  relation  to  the  beings  about  him  that  make  it 
manifest  that  he  is  a  creature  with  a  mission.  It  may  be  a 
humble  one  or  it  may  be  similar  to  many  others.  It  may 
be  a  little  niche  that  he  is  to  fill ;  he  may  be  a  small  link  in 
a  long  chain.  But,  however  lowly  the  service  we  any  of 
us  render,  it  is  ennobled  by  the  thought  that  it  is  that  to 
which  we  are  appointed.  How  it  dignifies  any  work  to  be 
able  to  say  of  it — "  It  is  the  work  of  the  Lord  for  me." 

Some  men  have  been  used  of  God  without  recognizing 
the  Hand  that  held  them.  Napoleon  was  a  man  of 
destiny,  but  not  a  man  of  God.  Alexander  did  a  mighty 
service  to  the  world  in  carrying  Greek  civilization  to  the 
ends  of  the  earth.  The  Greek  language,  which  became 
the  vehicle  of  the  Christian  revelation,  was  carried  with 


172  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

it,  and  thus  a  channel  was  prepared  for  the  spread  of  the 
Gospel  among  the  nations.  He  was,  in  an  important 
sense,  a  forerunner  of  Christ,  though  he  knew  it  not. 
In  fact,  every  man,  good  or  bad,  is  under  the  control  of 
God's  providence,  and  is  working  out  his  decretive  will. 

But  the  happy  men  and  women  are  they  who,  like  Jesus, 
see  and  feel  that  they  are  sent  of  God.  They  recognize 
the  divine  hand  in  their  lives.  They  are  asking  God  the 
way  that  they  may  walk  in  it  —  asking  God  as  he  speaks 
in  the  predilections  and  powers  of  body  and  mind ;  asking 
God  as  he  speaks  to  them  through  the  providential  setting 
of  their  lives,  and  not  less  as  he  speaks  to  their  hearts  by 
the  still  small  voice  of  the  Spirit. 

Here  is  one  of  whom  we  say  — "  He  is  a  man  with  a 
mission,"  or,  "  She  is  a  woman  with  a  mission."  Such 
a  one  was  Wilberforce  or  Howard,  or  Florence  Night- 
ingale, or  Frances  Willard.  But  we  make  a  broader 
claim  than  this.  To  everyone  under  God's  government 
is  assigned  a  place  and  a  work.  There  is  a  service  to 
which  each  one  of  us  is  sent,  and  a  blessed  thing  it  is  to 
know  that  we  have  found  our  distinctive  mission  and  are 
in  the  way  of  fulfilling  it.  How  satisfying  a  thing  is  a 
life  that  is  spent  in  waiting  on  God  for  orders.  A  letter 
from  a  sailor  on  board  the  Olympia,  to  his  parents  in 
Atchison,  Kansas,  written  before  the  naval  victory  that 
made  the  name  Dewey  famous,  told  that  the  Commodore 
issued  these  instructions  to  his  men  in  anticipation  of  an 
engagement, — "  Keep  perfectly  cool,  and  pay  attention  to 
nothing  but  orders."  It  is  the  right  command  for  the 
soldiers  of  the  cross.  "  Be  careful  for  nothing,"  is  a  very 
good  biblical  equivalent  for,  "Keep  perfectly  cool";  and 
single  eyed  obedience  is  a  frequent  New  Testament  re- 
quirement of  all  who  love  the  Lord.  "  Ye  are  my 
friends,"  says  Jesus,  "  if  you  do  whatsoever  I  command 
you." 

I  wish  I  could  make  you  all  see  that  your  comfort  and 
serviceableness  and  glory  depend  upon  your  cordial  con- 


Work  173 

sent  to  the  divine  mastery  of  your  lives.  There  is  no 
earthly  halo  that  can  compensate  for  the  absence  of  the 
divine  favor  or  approval.  The  real  glory  of  every  one 
of  us  is  found  in  service  to  God  and  humanity  —  to 
humanity  under  the  direction  of  God. 

There  is  no  virtue  that  so  excites  our  admiration  as 
courage.  Every  exhibition  of  it  stirs  the  hearts  of  men. 
But,  like  every  noble  thing,  it  has  its  counterfeits  and  its 
exaggerations.  I  submit  to  you  that  no  courage  is  clearly 
admirable  that  has  no  worthy  end  in  view.  There  is  a 
difference  between  mere  hardihood  and  heroism.  He  who 
sacrifices  his  life  to  no  purpose  is  a  fool.  The  suicide 
dares  to  throw  himself  under  the  wheels  of  the  locomotive 
—  to  rush  unbidden  away  from  ills  of  time  to  the  un- 
certainties of  eternity  —  and  we  call  him  a  coward.  He 
who  risks  everything  on  a  daring  venture  when  nothing 
is  to  be  achieved  thereby,  is  regarded  as  fool-hardy.  But 
he  who  has  a  mission  and  bravely  fulfils  it  is  a  hero 
in  the  eyes  of  all.  Lieut.  Hobson's  fearless  action  in  sink- 
ing the  Merrimac  in  the  channel  at  Santiago  de  Cuba  re- 
ceived unstinted  praise  not  merely  because  of  his  bravery 
but  because  of  his  brilliant  success  in  gaining  an  important 
end.  There  was  a  reason  for  his  attempt  that  justified 
the  hazard  of  life  and  helped  to  make  his  act  glorious. 

Young  men !  Young  women !  There  is  room  for 
heroic  action  in  every  life.  And  is  there  not  the  in- 
spiration of  the  sublimest  courage  in  the  thought  that  God 
is  behind  you,  that  there  is  a  mission  on  which  he  has 
sent  you  and  that  there  is  no  such  thing  as  fail  as  long 
as  you  keep  your  eye  on  your  Master  for  orders. 

III.  These  words  show  that  Jesus  recognized  the  limit- 
ation of  his  earthly  activity. 

It  is  only  a  day  and  the  night  is  coming, 
I  must  work  the  works  of  him  that  sent  me  while  it  is 
day  for  the  night  cometh  when  no  man  can  work. 

His  working  time  was  short  as  compared  with  many 


174  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

others,  and  shows  how  it  is  possible  to  compress  into  a 
few  years  more  value  than  the  accumulating  centuries, 
with  all  their  brave  men  and  true,  could  gather.  Out  of 
that  brief  life  flowed  the  stream  of  beneficent  influence 
that  has  been  ever  since  irrigating  the  waste  places  of  the 
earth,  and  will  flow  on  and  on  till  the  whole  desert  earth 
shall  rejoice  and  blossom  as  the  rose. 

Not  a  moment  of  that  life  was  idle.  Every  moment 
of  it  was  fully  and  worthily  spent.  The  coming  night 
cast  its  shadow  of  seriousness  over  the  whole  working 
day. 

In  one  respect  his  life  differed  from  ours.  He  knew 
beforehand  what  each  day  and  hour  required.  He 
ordered  himself  from  day  to  day  with  strict  regard  to  the 
line  marked  out  for  him.  We  hear  him  saying,  "  Mine 
hour  is  not  yet  come,"  and  the  evangelist  John  declares 
on  several  occasions,  by  way  of  explanation  of  what  oc- 
curred, "  His  hour  was  not  yet  come."  With  him,  in- 
deed, every  hour  was  laden  with  a  mission  of  its  own  — 
of  duty  or  endurance,  of  sympathy  or  speech  or  power. 
Let  the  hour  pass  unused  and  it  would  never  return,  and 
its  mission  would  be  lost. 

The  same  is  true,  in  large  measure,  with  you  or  me. 
You  cannot  compensate  for  the  past  by  cheating  the 
present.  You  cannot  turn  the  mill  with  the  water  that 
has  gone  by.  If  days  and  years  are  lost,  they  cannot  be 
regained.  They  remain  as  blank  spaces  in  the  record  of 
your  lives  and  ground  of  perpetual  regret.  Use,  then, 
the  moments  as  they  fly  in  building  up  a  larger  self,  and 
in  serving  man  and  honoring  God. 

"  The  night  cometh !  —  comes  steadily  —  may  come 
suddenly.  We  cannot  afford  to  procrastinate  concern- 
ing the  thing  that  must  be  done.  The  work  of  personal 
salvation  —  the  work  of  building  up  a  character  —  the 
achievement  you  have  promised  yourself  to  make,  on 
which  your  very  heart  is  set  —  will  you  let  any  of  these 


Work  175 

hang  on  the  uncertain  hope  of  coming  day,  when  all  you 
are  absolutely  sure  of  is  coming  night,  when  no  man  can 
work?  Would  you  delay  repentance  for  that  fearful  sin? 
Would  you  cherish  still  that  malignant  purpose?  Would 
you  count  the  darkness  a  sufficient  cloak  for  your  mis- 
deeds? Would  you  do  any  of  those  things  that  your  rea- 
son and  conscience  condemn  if  you  knew  that  the  search- 
light of  eternity  were  just  at  the  door. 

I  wish  for  everyone  of  you  a  long  working  day  but  I 
do  not  know  nor  do  you.  In  this  very  year  we  have  been 
taught  the  old  lesson  that  youth  is  no  sufficient  shield 
against  the  sharp  sickle  of  death.  Therefore  rest  not, 
haste  not,  while  the  light  of  day  still  shines  upon  you. 

"  The  night  cometh  when  no  man  can  work."  Jesus 
but  recoins  the  golden  precept  of  Solomon  in  Ecclesiastes 
— "  Whatsoever  thy  hand  findeth  to  do,  do  it  with  thy 
might,  for  there  is  no  work,  nor  device,  nor  knowledge, 
nor  wisdom  in  the  grave  whither  thou  goest."  There  is 
no  second  probation  —  no  additional  opportunity  of  doing 
the  works  on  which  hang  the  everlasting  future. 

The  night  cometh !  blessed  be  God  it  may  be  trans- 
figured into  a  morning.  The  day  of  this  life  may  close 
into  night  only  to  open  on  a  brighter  day  beyond.  It  was 
so  with  Jesus,  who  through  the  gateway  of  death  entered 
into  his  glory.  It  may  be  so  with  you  or  me  if  the  present 
working  day  is  well-spent  in  abiding  in  Christ,  following 
after  Christ  and  in  winning  others  to  Christ.  "  They 
that  be  wise  shall  shine  as  the  firmament  and  they  that 
turn  many  to  righteousness  as  the  stars  forever  and  ever. 

Ladies  and  gentlemen  of  the  class  of  1898,  let  me  urge 
you  to  be  ambitious  to  make  the  most  and  best  of  your 
lives  whether  they  be  longer  or  shorter.  You  remember 
the  little  poem  which  Oliver  Wendell  Holmes  wrote 
about  the  chambered  shell  of  the  Pearly  Nautilus.  It  con- 
tains good  meditation  for  you  as  you  lift  your  eyes  toward 
the  future  that  awaits  you.     The  story  of  the  creature 


176  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

that  built  and  inhabited  the  shell  and  the  lesson  its  out- 
reaching  life  contains  are  best  told  in  the  poet's  own 
words  — 

Year  after  year  beheld  the  silent  toil 
That  spread  his  lustrous  coil ; 
Still,  as  the  spiral  grew, 
He  left  the  last  year's  dwelling  for  the  new, 
Stole  with  soft  step  its  shining  archway  through, 
Built  up  its  idle  door, 

Stretched  in  his  last  found  home  and  knew  the  old  no 
more. 

Thanks  for  the  heavenly  message  brought  by  thee, 
Child  of  the  wandering  sea, 
Cast  from  her  lap,  forlorn ! 
From  thy  dead  lips  a  clearer  note  is  born 
Than  ever  Triton  blew  from  wreathed  horn ! 
While  on  mine  ear  it  rings, 

Through  the  deep  caves  of  thought  I  hear  a  voice  that 
sings. 

Build  thee  more  stately  mansions,  O  my  soul, 

As  the  swift  seasons  roll ! 

Leave  thy  low-vaulted  past! 

Let  each  new  temple,  nobler  than  the  last, 

Shut  thee  from  heaven  with  a  dome  more  vast, 

Till  thou  at  length  art  free, 

Leaving  thine  out-grown  shell  by  life's  unresting  sea. 

How  may  each  of  you  build  more  stately  mansions  for 
your  soul  as  the  years  go  by?  How  can  you  make  every 
new  year  wider  than  the  last?  How  can  you  make  your 
dead  selves  the  stepping  stones  to  nobler  things?  Let  me 
commend  to  you  the  example  of  Jesus  as  we  have  been 
viewing  it  through  his  word  as  containing  the  secret  of  a 
growing,  expanding  soul. 


Work  177 

Work!  Work  under  orders  from  heaven!  Work 
with  the  energy  of  one  who  has  only  twelve  hours  to  work 
in.  Catch  the  energetic  spirit  of  the  Master  as  he  says 
— "  I  must  work  the  works  of  Him  that  sent  me  while  it 
is  day." 

And  when  you  pass  out  of  "  Life's  unresting  sea,"  into 
the  haven  of  eternity  may  you  be  included  in  that  happy 
number  of  whom  it  is  written  — "  His  servants  shall  serve 
him,  And  they  shall  see  his  face  and  his  name  shall  be  in 
their  foreheads."  May  the  Lord  guide  you  every  one  by 
his  counsel  while  you  live  and  receive  you  at  last  into  his 
glory. 

The  Lord  bless  you  and  keep  you ;  the  Lord  make  his 
face  shine  upon  you  and  be  gracious  unto  you ;  the  Lord 
lift  up  his  countenance  upon  you  and  give  you  peace. 


SERMON  XIV,  1899 

THE    MINISTRY   OF   SERVICE 
/  am  among  you  as  he  that  serveth. —  Luke  22:  27. 

THE  Saviour  was  no  enemy  to  rightful  authority. 
He  wrought  a  miracle  in  order  to  pay  the  tribute 
exacted  by  the  Roman  Government.  He  kept  clear  of  the 
meshes  the  wily  Jews  were  spreading  for  his  feet,  by  the 
discriminating  declaration  — "  Render  unto  Caesar  the 
things  that  are  Caesar's  and  unto  God  the  things  that  are 
God's."  But  he  was  the  foe  to  all  forms  of  tyranny. 
His  religion  is  in  deadly  antagonism  to  the  despotic  prin- 
ciple. It  announces  the  equality  of  men  before  God.  It 
everywhere  undermines  despotism,  slavery  and  caste. 
It  changes  the  monarch  from  an  instrument  of  oppression 
unto  a  servant  of  the  people.  It  transforms  official  posi- 
tion into  a  public  trust.  There  are  official  relations  that 
obtain  in  both  Church  and  state  that  ought  not  to  be  dis- 
owned. The  ruler  and  the  ruled  may  recognize  what  is 
due  to  and  from  each  other  without  any  assumption  of 
personal  superiority  on  the  part  of  the  one  or  loss  of  per- 
sonal dignity  on  the  part  of  the  other.  It  remains  true, 
however,  whatever  distinctions  we  allow,  that  the  ruler 
is  not  more  than  a  man  and  the  ruled  is  not  less  than  a 
man. 

The  Kingdom  of  Christ  is  essentially  different  from  the 
Kingdoms  of  the  world.  The  spirit  of  lordship  —  of 
pride  and  rank  —  prevails  in  the  world.  "  But  ye  shall 
not  be  so,"  says  Christ  to  his  disciples.  The  spirit  of 
Christ  is  the  spirit  of  service  —  not  only  to  their  common 
Lord  but  to  one  another.  Jesus  teaches  this  lesson  both 
by  precept  and  example.     He  could  well  rebuke  the  un- 

178 


The  Ministry  of  Service  179 

seemly  contention  for  place  among  his  disciples  because 
his  whole  life  was  free  from  self-seeking.  In  the  con- 
sciousness and  courage  of  the  truth  of  what  he  spake  he 
says — "  Whether  is  greater,  he  that  sitteth  at  meat  or  he 
that  doth  serve?  Is  not  he  that  sitteth  at  meat?  But  / 
am  among  you  as  he  that  doth  serve/'  Whatever  claim 
concerning  himself  a  man  makes  must  be  true  or  it  will 
rebound  against  the  rebuke  he  is  administering.  Yet 
Jesus  knowing  full  well  that  their  familiarity  with  his  life 
would  put  his  words  to  the  test  said,  with  all  confidence 
of  their  confirmation, — "  I  am  among  you  as  he  that 
serveth."     Consider  — 

I.  The  condescending  humility  of  Jesus.  His  most 
amazing  condescension  took  place  when  being  the  Son  of 
God  he  became  man.  "  I  am  among  you," —  in  that  he 
humbled  himself  most  of  all.  "  The  word  was  made 
flesh  and  dwelt  among  us."  In  this  commingling  with 
men,  this  veiling  of  his  divine  glory  in  a  human  life,  this 
participation  in  the  nature  of  man  and  association  with 
sinful  men  in  their  ordinary  relations  he  stooped  from 
the  loftiest  height  to  the  very  lowest  depth.  Without  any 
approach  to  extravagance  we  may  describe  his  condescen- 
sion as  infinite. 

When  this  step  is  made  we  can  scarcely  wonder  at  any 
additional  descent.  And  yet  we  are  quite  as  much  im- 
pressed with  the  next  step  as  with  the  first.  We  can 
estimate  the  distance  between  one  man  and  another  better 
than  we  can  that  between  the  Creator  and  the  creature. 
Our  worldly  perspective  is  too  limited  for  any  comparison 
of  the  human  and  the  divine.  But  when  Jesus  says  — 
"  I  am  among  you  as  he  that  serveth  " — we  can  under- 
stand it  because  the  objects  of  comparison  are  within  the 
compass  of  our  narrow  vision.  As  a  man  he  took  a 
lowly  place  among  his  fellows.  His  parents  were  of  the 
poorer  class.  His  birth-place  was  a  despised  village. 
His  companions  were  not  princes  but  peasants  and  fisher- 
men of  Galilee.     Among  the  twelve  he  was  not  ministered 


180  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

unto  but  ministering.  He  was  not  above  performing  the 
most  menial  service  when  any  good  end  might  be  ac- 
complished thereby.  He  washed  his  disciples'  feet  and 
then  said  to  them — "  Know  ye  what  I  have  done  to  you? 
Ye  call  me  Master  and  Lord  and  ye  say  well  for  so  I  am 
—  I  have  given  you  an  example  that  ye  also  should  do 
as  I  have  done  to  you,  Verily,  verily  I  say  unto  you  a 
servant  is  not  greater  than  his  lord;  neither  is  one  sent 
greater  than  he  that  sent  him.  If  ye  know  these  things 
happy  are  ye  if  ye  do  them." 

The  Apostle  Paul  in  his  letter  to  the  Philippians 
(2:3-8)  commends  to  us  the  Saviour's  example  of 
humility.  He  brings  into  view  his  whole  course  from 
the  throne  in  glory  to  the  cross  on  Calvary  to  stimulate 
us  to  the  exercise  of  this  essential  grace.  "  Let  nothing 
be  done  through  strife  or  vain  glory,  but  in  lowliness  of 
mind  let  each  esteem  others  better  than  themselves.  Look 
not  every  man  on  his  own  things  but  every  man  also  on 
the  things  of  others.  Let  this  mind  be  to  you  which  was 
also  in  Christ  Jesus;  who  being  in  the  form  of  God, 
counted  it  not  a  prize  to  be  on  an  equality  with  God 
but  emptied  himself  taking  the  form  of  a  servant;  and 
being  found  in  fashion  as  a  man  he  humbled  himself  and 
became  obedient  unto  death  even  the  death  of  the  cross." 
May  the  Lord  help  us  to  yield  ourselves  to  the  trans- 
figuring influence  of  his  shining  example,  to  take  his  yoke 
upon  us  and  learn  of  him  who  was  meek  and  lowly  in 
heart.  What  is  humility  in  man?  It  is  the  opposite  of 
pride  and  vanity.  It  is  a  lowly  view  of  one's  self  before 
God  and  among  men.  Our  Saviour  uttered  a  parable  to 
teach  the  folly  of  pride  and  wherever  his  picture  of  the 
proud  Pharisee  has  been  seen  it  has  fastened  odium  upon 
the  name.  He  uttered  another  parable  to  teach  the  folly 
of  vanity  when  he  "  Marked  how  they  chose  out  the  chief 
seats."  Both  parables  he  concludes  with  the  same  moral, 
— "  For  everyone  that  exalteth  himself  shall  be  humbled ; 
and  he  that  humbleth  himself  shall  be  exalted." 


The  Ministry  of  Service  181 

The  same  lesson  is  taught  by  precept  and  example  both 
in  the  Old  Testament  and  the  New.  Solomon  tells  us 
that  "  with  the  lowly  is  wisdom,"  and  "  before  honor  is 
humility."  And  Paul  exhorts  "  every  man  that  is  among 
us  not  to  think  of  himself  more  highly  than  he  ought  to 
think."  Humility  means  a  just  estimate  of  one's  gifts 
and  virtues.  Says  one  — "  Humility  in  man  consists  not 
in  denying  any  gift  that  is  in  him  but  in  a  just  valuation 
of  it;  rather  thinking  too  meanly  than  too  highly." 
There  is  a  pride  that  undervalues  one's  gifts  —  a  vanity 
that  wears  a  veil  of  humility  and  sometimes  the  disguise 
is  very  ineffectual.  We  decline  a  service  because  we  are 
unwilling  to  perform  it  except  with  eminent  success.  Is 
it  modesty  or  subtle  pride  that  prompts  the  refusal? 

Dr.  Thomas  Brown  of  Edinburgh,  in  his  discussion 
of  this  grace  regards  humility  as  a  relative  term,  imply- 
ing a  comparison  of  some  sort  with  an  object  higher  or 
lower.  If  we  compare  ourselves  with  lower  objects  we 
are  filled  with  pride ;  if  with  higher,  we  bend  in  humility. 
It  is  the  glory  of  the  Christian  religion  that  it  keeps  our 
eye  toward  the  heights  of  excellence,  keeps  our  minds 
comparing  ourselves  with  the  noblest  spirits  of  earth,  with 
the  perfect  man  of  Nazareth  and  with  the  holy,  just  and 
true  God. 

And  yet  this  beautiful  view  scarcely  fills  out  the  idea 
of  humility  as  it  appears  in  the  scriptures.  We  are  to  be 
lowly  among  the  lowest  as  well  as  the  highest.  "  In  low- 
liness of  mind  let  each  esteem  other  better  than  him- 
self." Even  the  clear-sighted  Calvin  raised  the  question 
—  How  can  this  be?  We  too  may  be  puzzled  to  reconcile 
a  just  estimate  with  a  superior  estimate  of  every  other,  but 
whatever  difficulty  there  may  be  in  theory  the  truly 
humble  heart  solves  it  easily  enough  in  practice.  Paul 
was  by  his  natural  force  a  leader  of  men  and  could  not 
be  otherwise,  yet  he  could  say  of  himself  — "  I  am  less 
than  the  least  of  all  saints  —  I  am  not  meet  to  be  called 
an  apostle.     I  am  the  chief  of  sinners."     These  are  not 


1 82  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

empty  words.  They  utter  the  profoundest  thoughts  of  his 
heart  when  he  was  face  to  face  with  sin  and  with  God. 

John  Howard  was  vexed  with  the  proposal  to  erect 
a  monument  to  his  name  and  begged  them  to  desist  as  he 
claimed  no  credit  for  his  exertions  in  behalf  of  prisoners 
as  he  was  merely  riding  his  hobby  horse.  Said  Sir  Isaac 
Newton  — "  If  I  have  seen  farther  than  Descartes  it  is  by 
standing  on  the  shoulders  of  giants."  There  is  fine 
courtesy  as  well  as  humility  in  this  disclaimer,  giving 
credit  to  his  mighty  predecessor  into  whose  labors  he  had 
entered.  Do  we  value  this  grace  and  seek  it  in  its  reality  ? 
It  is  of  the  very  essence  of  Christian  character.  Augustine 
being  asked  the  first  step  to  heaven,  answered,  Humility; 
and  the  second,  Humility;  and  the  third?  Humility. 
No  other  grace  is  perfect  without  it.  So  Peter  after  he 
had  urged  other  graces,  sobriety  and  prayerfulness  and 
charity,  says,  "  Be  clothed  with  humility."  Let  this  be  a 
covering  to  hide  them  from  our  view  —  a  covering  to 
shield  them  from  attack. 

It  is  easier  to  preach  about  humility  than  to  be  humble. 
While  we  think  about  it  and  especially  when  we  talk 
about  it,  it  vanishes.  As  Dr.  Cummings  puts  it  — "  The 
moment  humility  tells  you,  I  am  here,  there  is  an  end 
to  it."  It  is  so  sensitive  that  we  cannot  even  look  on  it 
without  injuring  it.  We  must  be  ever  looking  outward 
and  upward,  seeing  by  faith  Him  who  is  invisible  and 
rejoicing  in  his  love.  If  we  walk  humbly  with  God  we 
will  be  able  to  live  humbly  among  men. 

II.  The  spirit  of  ministry  in  the  life  of  Jesus.  "  He 
that  serveth," —  is  his  own  designation  of  himself.  And 
how  well  his  whole  life  illustrates  the  truth  of  it.  We 
purposely  omit  from  consideration  the  sacrifice  of  him- 
self on  the  cross.  That  was  indeed  the  summit  of  his 
ministry  to  the  race  of  men  —  the  greatest  service  of  all 
to  mankind.  He  thereby  lifted  the  curse  of  the  broken 
law,  broke  the  chains  of  the  soul  enslaved  by  sin,  pur- 
chased  liberty  for  the  captives  and   the  opening  of  the 


The  Ministry  of  Service  183 

prison  to  them  that  are  bound.  But  all  his  dealings  with 
men  while  he  was  on  earth  were  in  perfect  harmony  with 
this  culminating  fact  of  redemption.  He  was  a  servant 
of  men,  of  all  men  whose  lives  he  touched,  especially  of 
those  who  came  into  intimate  relations  with  him  in  the 
social  life. 

1.  He  served  in  the  ordinary  sense  of  the  word,  as  we 
use  it  in  speaking  of  the  household.  He  took  the  humblest 
place  —  he  performed  the  most  menial  service.  He  re- 
buked the  self-seeking  of  the  disciples  by  his  example  and 
by  his  words.  He  told  them  that  the  Son  of  man  came 
not  to  be  ministered  unto  but  to  minister.  He  taught 
them  to  be  mutually  helpful  by  performing  kindly  offices 
one  for  another.  As  the  disciples  were  reclining  on  one 
occasion  at  the  paschal  supper  a  question  arose  about  the 
usual  custom  of  washing  the  disciples'  feet.  Who  shall 
do  this  service  seeing  all  are  on  the  same  social  level? 
Jesus  sets  at  rest  any  dispute  that  might  have  arisen  by 
himself,  their  Lord  and  Master,  assuming  the  servant's 
garb,  removing  the  dust-covered  sandals  and  washing  their 
feet  one  by  one  and  wiping  them  with  the  towel  where- 
with he  was  girded,  the  symbol  of  the  inferior  place  he 
had  taken.  He  thus  teaches  us  that  no  work  is  in  itself 
dishonorable  and,  when  necessity  requires  it,  no  work  is 
beneath  the  dignity  of  the  highest.  If  we  have  the  same 
spirit  as  he  we  cannot  look  with  disdain  on  any  life  how- 
ever lowly.  On  the  contrary  wherever  the  Christ  spirit 
prevails  disdain  rebounds  and  brings  contempt  on  the  one 
who  shows  it  rather  than  on  its  object. 

Henry  Ward  Beecher,  in  his  first  charge  in  the  West, 
from  which  he  was  called  to  Brooklyn,  swept  the  floors 
and  cleaned  the  lamps  as  well  as  preached  the  Gospel 
to  the  plain  people.  John  Eliot,  the  Apostle  of  the 
Indians,  stopped  at  nothing,  enduring  hardships,  travelling 
by  night  and  day,  through  wet  and  cold,  accommmodating 
himself  to  the  life  of  the  ignorant  savage  people  he  sought 
to  save  and  when  at  80  years  he  was  obliged  to  desist 


184  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

from  arduous  labors  among  the  Indians  he  gathered  the 
negro  servants  about  him  to  teach  them  the  word  of  God. 
If  we  go  back  a  century  farther  we  find  George  Buchanan, 
the  great  scholar,  the  tutor  of  Princess  Mary  and  James 
of  Scotland,  similarly  employed.  Andrew  Melville,  com- 
ing in  one  day,  found  him  teaching  a  serving  lad  the 
alphabet  and  expressed  his  wonder  at  finding  him  in  so 
humble  a  work.  "  Better  this,"  bluntly  repliedly  the  dis- 
tinguished man,  "  than  stealing  a  sheep  or  sitting  idle 
which  is  as  ill." 

It  is  not  the  work  that  dignifies  or  degrades  the  man 
but  the  man  that  dignifies  or  degrades  the  work. 

2.  Jesus  was  among  men  as  one  that  served  in  the  sense 
of  rendering  help  to  others.  He  made  himself  a  blessing 
to  all  who  came  in  contact  with  him. 

How  tenderly  he  looked  after  the  bodily  comfort  of 
others!  He  went  about  doing  good  to  those  who  had 
bodily  diseases  and  infirmities.  He  found  pleasure  in 
ministering  to  health  and  happiness.  How  many  little 
touches  of  the  Gospel  narratives  show  his  delicacy  and 
thoughtfulness.  How  liberally  he  provided  against  any 
embarrassment  at  the  wedding  feast  at  Cana!  He  comes 
to  the  house  of  the  ruler  of  the  synagogue  whose  little 
daughter,  twelve  years  of  age,  lies  asleep  in  death.  The 
people  are  gathered  there,  and  there  is  a  great  tumult  — 
Jesus  quietly  takes  the  father  and  mother  with  his 
disciples  into  the  inner  sanctuary  where  the  dead  child 
lay.  Every  cold  unsympathizing  gazer  is  excluded  and 
only  they  who  loved  her  shall  witness  the  act  of  Christ. 
And  when  the  miracle  is  announced  and  a  great  astonish- 
ment seizes  upon  all  and  the  restored  child  with  her  wants 
was  in  danger  of  being  forgotten,  it  was  Jesus  who  "  Com- 
manded that  something  be  given  to  eat."  Just  as  when 
Lazarus  was  raised  from  the  dead  and  stood  bound  hand 
and  foot  with  grave-clothes  it  was  Jesus  who  said  unto 
them  — "  Loose  him  and  let  him  go."  Thus  by  his  timely 
interposition  here  and  there  as  he  went  as  well  as  by  his 


The  Ministry  of  Service  185 

mighty  works  that  showed  his  divinity  he  was  giving  help 
where  it  was  needed. 

But  his  service  to  humanity  was  farther  reaching  than 
this.  The  body  was  for  sake  of  the  spirit  —  the  instru- 
ment and  revealer  of  the  spirit.  His  main  work  was  to 
teach  the  truth,  to  express  and  embody  right  ideals,  to 
reach  men's  souls  and  do  them  good.  His  whole  thought 
was  how  he  might  impart  some  spiritual  good,  how  he 
might  serve  his  fellow-men.  He  took  advantage  of  every 
natural  fact  and  every  passing  circumstance  to  find  an 
entrance  and  a  lodgment  of  the  saving  truth  in  the  minds 
of  men.  The  thought  of  service  was  in  everything  he  did 
and  said.  Even  the  denunciations  of  the  Pharisees  and 
the  penetrating  words  to  Judas  were  only  a  last  effort 
of  love  to  reclaim  them  from  their  waywardness  and 
sordidness. 

How  different  is  this  attitude  from  that  of  the  vast 
majority!  So  many  act  as  if  they  might  be  saying — I 
am  among  you  as  he  that  is  to  be  served.  They  are  press- 
ing for  their  rights,  claiming  precedence,  cultivating 
friendships  for  selfish  ends  and  discarding  them  when  the 
ends  are  served,  joining  hands  for  the  spoils  sake  and 
quarrelling  over  them  when  fully  secured,  striving  to  out- 
shine in  society  and  gloating  over  the  discomfiture  of  a 
rival.  It  is  a  great  triumph  of  culture  and  of  grace  when 
a  generous  thought  pervades  our  lawful  contests.  It  will 
be  a  grand  advance  of  the  world  when  self  shall  be  sub- 
dued and  love  shall  bind  all  together  in  one  brotherhood, 
when  the  thought  of  each  for  every  other  shall  be  —  How 
can  I  serve  him  best? 

We  are  accustomed  to  say  or  to  hear  it  said  that  the 
only  solution  of  the  labor  problem  is  the  prevalence  of 
Christian  principles  in  both  employer  and  employee.  And 
no  doubt  the  problem  will  reach  a  vanishing  point  when 
all  act  upon  the  declaration  of  Christ  —  I  am  among  you 
as  he  that  serveth.  The  question  will  not  be  —  How 
much  can  I  get?  but  how  much  can  I  give?     The  hollow 


1 86  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

eye-servant  will  be  a  fact  of  the  past.  The  greedy  capi- 
talist will  have  passed  away.  Until  this  reign  of  mutual 
service  has  been  fully  entered  upon  there  may  be  necessity 
for  laws  and  regulations,  for  conferences  and  agreements. 
But  there  are  instances  of  this  happy  state  to  be  found 
here  and  there,  streaks  of  the  early  morning  that  give 
promise  and  hope  of  the  glorious  dawn  of  that  day  the 
angels  announced  to  the  shepherds,  of  peace  on  earth  and 
good-will  among  men.  May  the  Lord  hasten  it  in  his 
time! 

III.  The  new  conception  of  greatness  which  Jesus  has 
introduced.  This  whole  discourse  was  called  out  by  a 
dispute  among  the  disciples  who  should  be  the  greatest. 
By  greatness  they  meant  pre-eminence  in  place  and  power. 
But  Jesus  assures  them  that  in  His  Kingdom  another 
conception  of  greatness  must  prevail  different  from  that 
which  was  cherished  by  Gentile  thrones.  There  was  in- 
deed to  be  organization  and  order  but  no  lordship  over 
God's  heritage  —  no  despotic  government  since  all  the 
disciples  are  Kings  and  priests  unto  God.  "  But  ye  shall 
not  be  so;  but  he  that  is  greatest  among  you  let  him  be 
as  the  younger  and  he  that  is  chief  as  he  that  doth  serve." 
This  is  no  isolated  unsupported  statement.  The  same 
sentiment  is  variously  expressed  and  the  same  expressions 
are  used  on  various  occasions.  "  Whosoever  will  be  great 
among  you,  let  him  be  your  minister  and  whosoever  will 
be  chief  among  you  let  him  be  your  servant;  even  as  the 
Son  of  Man  came  not  to  be  ministered  unto  but  to 
minister,  and  to  give  his  life  a  ransom  for  many."  The 
only  pre-eminence  to  be  sought  is  that  of  service ;  let  the 
only  contention  be  who  shall  serve  the  most. 

Here  is  something  within  reach  of  us  all.  Here  is  a 
spur  to  the  ambition  of  the  man  or  woman  of  the  least 
talents  or  possessions.  You  or  I  may  be  great  in  service 
—  great  with  the  greatness  of  Christ.  This  is  the  great- 
ness that  will  last  —  when  thrones  and  crowns  and  monu- 
ments of  marble  or  bronze  and  the  emblazonry  of  history 


The  Ministry  of  Service  187 

and  poetry  have  passed  away.  It  makes  its  impress  on  a 
soul  that  never  dies  which  in  turn  impresses  other  souls 
that  never  die.  Marble  will  crumble,  bronze  will  tarnish, 
other  great  names  loom  up  to  obscure  the  glories  of  the 
past  but  the  soul  of  man  is  immortal  and  what  is  written 
there  is  carried  forward  into  the  eternity  where  all  earthly 
glories  are  unknown. 

This  new  conception  of  greatness  is  advancing  in  the 
world.  Wherever  the  Gospel  goes  it  must  go  with  it. 
And  although  there  is  much  that  seems  like  the  dominance 
of  the  old  worldly  spirit  even  in  Christendom  and  even 
in  the  Church  of  Christ,  I  believe  these  are  signs  that  the 
world  is  yielding  to  the  power  of  Christ's  truth  and 
coming  to  consider  all  things  in  the  light  of  service  to 
humanity.  Strength  has  its  devotees.  We  all  rise  up  be- 
fore the  man  of  giant  strength.  It  sometimes  seems  as  if 
the  whole  community  were  following  the  man  who  has 
an  arm  like  a  catapult  or  the  shoulder  of  a  Hercules. 
But  it  is  not  so.  We  pay  the  highest  homage  after  all 
to  the  man  and  not  the  brute.  W^e  distinguish  in  the 
final  judgment  we  render  between  Samson,  the  deliverer, 
and  Sullivan,  the  bruiser.  When  the  Presbyterian  Al- 
liance met  in  Toronto  seven  years  ago,  there  was  an 
excursion  to  Niagara  and  many  of  the  visitors  and  their 
friends  took  part  in  it.  A  woman  of  one  of  the  com- 
panies fell  through  one  of  the  bridges  across  the  Niagara 
River  above  the  Falls  and  caught  upon  one  of  the  girders 
and  would  soon  have  fallen  farther  into  the  rapid  stream 
below.  Dr.  Ramsey,  a  Scotch  delegate,  quickly  sprang 
down  and  reached  her  in  time  to  save  her  from  falling 
further.  It  was  a  skilful,  heroic  act  that  called  out  the 
applause  of  all  and  was  recognized  by  a  public  introduc- 
tion to  the  Assembly  next  day.  Perhaps  in  the  athletics 
of  the  university  he  developed  that  strong  arm  and  that 
promptness  of  action,  but  it  was  a  brave  heart  and  the 
spirit  of  service  that  added  nobleness  to  strength.  Men 
shudder  at  the  act  of   foolhardiness  of   a  Blondin   and 


Baccalaureate  Sermons 


glory  in  an  act  of  heroism  like  this.  Wealth  in  the  eyes 
of  many  is  greatness.  It  certainly  means  power  and  in- 
fluence and  great  opportunity.  And  yet  apart  from  high 
qualities  of  character  do  men  highly  esteem  it  in  others? 
Do  we  look  upon  a  Croesus  or  a  Rothschild  with  more 
of  admiration  than  upon  the  impersonal  Bank  of  England  ? 
But  when  Baron  Hirsch,  with  love  for  the  impoverished, 
oppressed  Jews  of  Russia,  spends  millions  for  their  rescue 
we  praise  him  with  one  acclaim.  When  Jay  Gould, 
scarcely  purged  from  the  charge  of  wrecking  other  men's 
fortunes,  died  leaving  many  millions  behind  him  the  world 
gave  a  half  hearted  praise  to  his  achievement  but  when 
Helen  Gould  shows  the  spirit  of  sympathy  with  the  nation 
and  with  the  suffering  a  nation  rises  up  and  calls  her 
blessed. 

It  is  come  to  this,  that  men  of  wealth  are  expected  to 
consider  the  responsibility  of  wealth  —  are  placed  upon 
their  honor  with  reference  to  its  use  in  the  service  of 
humanity.  What  a  splendid  chance  does  the  possession 
of  large  means  give!  The  very  highest  human  greatness 
is  within  the  grasp  of  the  millionaire  if  he  only  enters 
into  the  spirit  of  Jesus  which  enables  him  to  say,  I  am 
among  you  as  he  that  serveth.  Military  and  naval 
prowess  have  filled  the  eye  of  the  world  of  late.  At 
mention  of  the  names  of  our  heroes  men  go  wild  and 
loud  huzzas  fill  the  air.  All  honor  to  them!  and  yet  is 
not  the  cause  that  inspired  them  with  courage  as  well 
as  the  courage  itself  in  our  minds  when  we  make  the 
welkin  ring  with  our  tumultuous  cheers.  When  a  few 
years  have  passed  —  about  a  generation  —  Grant  still 
looms  up  as  the  most  illustrious  general  of  the  Civil  War. 
But  when  we  remember  him,  probably  the  first  thought 
of  him  will  be  his  generosity  to  a  defeated  foe  and  his 
famous  sentence  —  Let  us  have  peace !  Not  Julius  Caesar 
or  Alexander  the  Great  or  Napoleon  —  men  who  scourged 
the  world  but  Cromwell  and  Washington  and  Lincoln  — 
men  who  blessed  the  world  as  leaders  in  the  cause  of 


The  Ministry  of  Service  189 

liberty  are  in  the  thoughts  of  men  today.  Who  knows 
the  names  of  the  military  leaders  on  either  side  in  the 
Crimean  War  and  yet  who  has  not  heard  the  name  of 
Florence  Nightingale,  the  ministering  angel  of  its  mangled 
hosts  and  how  many  have  read  of  Hedly  Vicars  and 
Arthur  Vandcleur  who  stood  as  bravely  for  Christ  as  for 
the  cause  of  the  Allies. 

What  makes  a  nation  great?  The  same  as  makes  a 
man  or  woman  —  mighty  service.  Wordsworth  sang  of 
old  England  —  his  country.  "  For  dearly  must  we  prize 
thee;  we  who  find  in  thee  a  bulwark  for  the  cause  of 
man."  To  our  land  has  been  given  a  like  distinction  or 
even  a  greater  —  to  be  not  only  a  bulwark  but  a  champion 
of  the  cause  of  men.  May  she  never  forget  to  keep  this 
as  the  pole-star  of  her  destiny  —  an  example  of  the  na- 
tions —  a  magnificent  embodiment  of  the  spirit  of  Christ 
who  came  to  serve  and  to  save.  Has  it  not  come  to  this 
in  this  world  of  ours,  where  already  the  regnant  forces 
are  Christian,  that  the  Christian  conception  of  greatness 
has  such  sway  as  to  make  all  other  ideals  subservient  to  it 
and  every  hero  in  art  or  literature,  in  war  or  peace,  in 
finance  or  statesmanship  must  justify  his  title  to  greatness 
by  the  service  he  renders  to  mankind. 

Members  of  the  class  of  1899  let  me  commend  to  you 
the  example  we  have  been  considering.  What  is  to  be  your 
future  calling  is  a  very  important  question  you  are  ask- 
ing yourselves  just  now.  Let  me  tell  you  it  is  not  nearly 
so  important  as  this  —  In  what  spirit  shall  I  pursue  the 
calling  I  choose?  It  is  possible  to  enter  the  sacred  office 
of  the  Gospel  ministry  with  only  selfish  ends  in  view. 
It  is  possible  to  give  selfless  service  to  Christ  and  to  men 
in  any  honorable  secular  calling.  My  young  friends, 
whatever  inferior  ends  you  may  hope  to  secure  make  your 
lives  sublime  by  the  larger  purpose  and  hope  of  achieving 
something  for  the  good  of  the  world  while  you  are  in  it. 

Neither  let  it  be  a  thing  in  the  distance.  Begin  at  once, 
if  you  have  not  already  begun,  to  brighten  the  lives  of 


190  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

those  that  are  nearest  to  you.  Despise  not  the  little  things 
that  contribute  so  much  to  happiness  and  character. 
Speak  a  kind  word  and  never  a  bitter,  taunting,  sneering, 
disdainful  one,  speak  a  faithful  word  if  it  be  needed  but 
in  a  loving,  tender  spirit,  give  a  cup  of  cold  water  to  the 
thirsty,  pick  a  stumbling  block  out  of  your  neighbor's  way, 
cast  a  covering  over  his  feet,  "  Lift  up  the  hands  that  hang 
down  and  the  palsied  knees;  and  make  straight  paths  for 
your  feet  lest  that  which  is  lame  be  not  turned  out  of  the 
way  but  rather  let  it  be  healed." 

However  it  be  it  seems  to  me, 
'Tis  only  noble  to  be  good ; 
Kind  hearts  are  more  than  coronets, 
And  simple  faith  than  Norman  blood. 

As  a  lover  of  men  join  the  forces  in  the  world  that 
are  in  favor  of  human  well-being.  Be  a  friend  and  loyal 
supporter  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  which  is  his  own 
agency  for  the  advancement  of  human  welfare.  Be 
known  as  a  friend  of  temperance  and  liberty  and 
righteousness  and  law  —  pillars  of  the  republic  —  staunch 
girders  of  the  ship  of  state  on  whose  safe  riding  of  the 
sea  rests  the  great  hope  of  humanity.  In  this  time  when 
all  things  are  concentrating  —  when  combinations  rule  in 
the  business  and  social  world  —  when  as  Tennyson  puts 
it,  "  The  individual  withers  and  the  world  is  more  and 
more,"  you  cannot  accomplish  all  that  is  possible  for  you 
if  you  stand  aloof  from  the  movements  and  organizations 
that  embody  the  philanthropic  spirit  of  the  times.  Be  a 
man  —  never  lose  your  individuality ;  but  be  a  man  among 
men,  co-operating  without  petty  fault-finding,  with  hearti- 
ness of  soul  in  all  that  promises  well  for  humanity,  in 
carrying  out  the  program  of  Christianity  long  ago  an- 
nounced by  Isaiah  — "  To  bind  up  the  broken-hearted,  to 
proclaim  liberty  to  the  captives  and  the  opening  of  the 
prison  to  them  that  are  bound,  to  proclaim  the  accept- 


The  Ministry  of  Service  191 

able  year  of  the  Lord  and  the  day  of  vengeance  of  our 
God ;  to  comfort  all  that  mourn  in  Zion,  to  give  unto  them 
beauty  for  ashes,  the  oil  of  joy  for  mourning,  the  garment 
of  praise  for  the  spirit  of  heaviness." 

Young  men  and  women,  you  are  getting  pictures  of 
your  friends  as  you  are  about  to  leave  them,  and  after 
awhile  you  will  hang  them  up  to  remind  you  of  one 
another  and  the  happy  days  gone  by.  I  have  sought  this 
afternoon  to  hang  a  picture  within  the  chambers  of  your 
minds  —  a  picture  of  Immanuel  God  with  us  —  of  the 
Man  of  Galilee  stooping  down  to  bless  others  —  a  picture 
with  this  inscription  below  — "  I  am  among  you  as  he 
that  serveth."  Keep  the  picture  ever  before  you  and  keep 
the  inscription  clear  and  you  will  be  happy  in  making 
others  happy.  Blessing  will  respond  to  blessing.  Love 
will  beget  love.  Conscience  will  approve.  The  Father 
will  smile  down  from  above  and  through  the  gateway 
of  life's  close  there  will  open  before  you  vistas  of  bright- 
ness and  joy  such  as  earth  cannot  give. 

And  so  make  life,  death  and  the  vast  forever, 
One  grand  sweet  song. 


SERMON  XV,  1900 

DECISION    VS.    DRIFTING 

Therefore  ive  ought  to  give  the  more  earnest  heed  to  the  things 
that  were  heard,  lest  haply  we  drift  away  from  them. —  He- 
brews 2:  I. 

IN  a  sheltered  place  a  little  vessel  rests  upon  the  waters 
of  the  lake.  It  is  not  tied  to  the  shore  by  any  chain  of 
iron,  nor  anchored  in  its  place  by  any  grappling  hook 
beneath.  But  it  lies  securely  enough  upon  the  placid  sur- 
face and  there  is  no  fear  of  damage.  The  shore  is  within 
sight  and  the  mighty  deep  is  far  away.  Why  waste 
anxiety  upon  the  unfettered,  unsuspecting  craft?  Let  it 
enjoy  its  freedom  and  dance  as  it  may  with  the  swaying 
waves. 

But  there  may  be  currents  beneath  that  bear  it  along. 
The  swell  of  the  great  ship  passing  by  may  draw  it  away 
from  its  place  of  security.  The  rough  winds  may  drive 
it  out  toward  the  danger  line.  By  advances  made  insen- 
sibly, by  constant  current  or  sudden  shock,  by  wind  and 
wave  imparting  motion  however  slight,  it  glides  out  to 
sea.  And  now  it  becomes  the  sport  of  the  elements. 
The  heat  of  the  summer's  sun  and  the  breath  of  the  North 
wind  test  its  timbers.  From  all  quarters  the  winds  play 
upon  it  and  drive  it  hither  and  thither;  the  storm  attacks 
it  and  dashes  it  against  its  fellow  or  upon  the  rocks. 
Who  can  predict  its  destiny  as  it  floats  upon  the  waters, 
with  no  control,  the  veriest  plaything  of  every  breeze 
and  eddy.  It  drifts  and  drifts  and  drifts  and  none  can 
tell  where. 

Something  like  this  is  in  the  writer's  mind  when  he  uses 
the  figure  contained  in  our  text.  "  The  things  that  were 
heard  " —  the  precious  things  of  the  Gospel  —  stretch  like 

192 


Decision  vs.  Drifting  193 

a  beautiful  shore  line  of  truth  before  our  minds.  They 
are  as  abiding  as  the  bounds  of  the  sea  and  the  salvation 
of  the  soul  is  assured  by  keeping  near  to  them.  The 
things  we  have  heard  come  from  God.  Even  when  they 
come  through  prophets  and  apostles  behind  them  was  the 
authoritative  voice  of  the  Lord.  But  in  these  last  days 
the  Lord  himself  hath  spoken  by  the  voice  of  his  Son. 
Out  of  the  opened  heavens  the  Father  has  certified  him 
to  us  with  the  clear  announcement  and  command  — "  This 
is  my  Beloved  Son ;  hear  him."  In  the  preceding  chapter 
we  have  the  wonderful  attributes  and  glories  of  the  son 
of  God  set  forth  —  his  power  and  dominion  and  righteous- 
ness and  changelessness  —  his  superiority  to  every 
creature,  the  highest  angels  being  subservient  to  him,  his 
ministers  that  do  his  pleasure.  It  is  He  who  speaks  to  us 
and  "  therefore  we  ought  to  give  the  more  earnest  heed 
to  the  things  that  were  heard  lest  haply  we  drift  away 
from  them,"  or  as  John  Owen  translates  it  — "  lest  at 
any  time  we  flow  away  from  them." 

The  subject  suggested  might  be  stated  as  —  Decision 
vs.  Drifting.  There  is  the  possibility  of  a  great  loss  by 
drifting  away  and  there  is  a  contrary  possibility  of  provid- 
ing against  it  by  taking  earnest  heed.  It  is  not  rescue 
that  is  urged,  but  protection.  We  are  to  take  heed  lest 
we  fall  —  to  prevent  disaster  rather  than  repair  it.  How- 
ever inspiring  the  work  of  rescue  it  is  not  so  wise  or  so 
hopeful  as  that  of  prevention.  Love  no  doubt  bids  us 
lift  up  the  fallen  but  it  calls  with  louder  voice  to  us  to 
shield  the  upright.  It  pleads  with  ourselves  to  abide  in  a 
safe  harbor  and  take  no  risks  on  life's  treacherous  sea. 

I.  The  evil  to  be  avoided  is  drifting  away  from  Christ 
and  the  Gospel. 

It  is  assumed  that  it  is  a  very  undesirable  thing  for  any 
soul  to  pass  out  from  under  the  influence  of  Christian 
truth.  This  is  the  view  not  only  of  the  writer  but  of 
those  to  whom  his  words  are  addressed.  And  I  doubt 
not  it  is  the  view  of  you  to  whom  I  speak  to-night.     You 


194  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

believe  in  God  the  Father  Almighty  and  in  Jesus  Christ 
his  own  Son  and  our  Saviour.  You  believe  in  the  Bible 
as  the  word  of  God  and  in  the  Christian  Church  as  the 
great  agency  of  God  for  the  betterment  of  mankind.  You 
believe  in  worship  as  due  from  every  rational  creature 
to  the  Creator  and  in  service  as  due  from  every  blood- 
bought  sinner  to  his  Redeemer.  You  affirm  your  belief 
in  these  things  and  express  your  hope  that  you  may  never 
believe  them  less  nor  fail  to  square  your  lives  in  accord- 
ance with  them.  You  would  not  turn  your  back  upon 
Christianity  any  more  than  you  would  upon  the  mother 
that  has  borne  you  and  borne  with  you  until  now.  No 
matricidal  hand  of  yours  will  ever  stab  this  cherishing 
mother  of  all  that  is  good  in  our  civilization.  You  are 
ready  to  ask  with  Hazael  when  confronted  with  his  own 
future  cruelties,  "  Is  thy  servant  a  dog  that  he  should 
do  this  thing?  " 

But  there  are  more  ways  than  one  of  wounding  and 
destroying  those  we  love.  He  who  would  not  lift  a  hand 
except  to  bless  his  mother  may  break  her  loving  heart 
by  waywardness  and  neglect.  He  who  would  not,  could 
not  bitterly  assail  the  religion  of  Jesus,  may  become  in- 
different to  its  claims. 

Drifting  is  very  often  an  unconscious  process.  Little 
by  little  the  change  takes  place  and  we  are  far  from  our 
moorings  ere  we  are  aware  of  it.  It  creeps  upon  one  as 
age  comes  upon  the  grown  man.  In  the  significant  figure 
of  Hosea  this  spiritual  and  moral  deterioration  is  set  forth 
— "  Gray  hairs  are  here  and  there  upon  him  and  he  know- 
eth  it  not."  In  many  a  case  if  the  drift  were  clearly  seen 
it  would  be  arrested.  But  hidden  from  the  sight  it  works 
its  full  damage  unchecked.  You  sit  by  the  open  window 
when  the  chill  of  the  evening  begins  to  come  on  and  im- 
perceptibly you  are  affected  by  the  draft.  So  do  chilling 
winds  blow  upon  the  soul  out  of  the  social  atmosphere  of 
the  world  and  the  injury  is  received  before  they  are 
noticed. 


Decision  vs.  Drifting  195 

Drifting  further  implies  passivity.  The  soul  yields  to 
whatever  influences  play  upon  it.  It  is  not  actively, 
vigorously  marking  out  its  course  and  destiny  but  lan- 
guidly consenting  to  the  control  of  others.  There  is  blind 
surrender  to  the  forces  that  are  about  it.  It  is  "  carried 
about  by  every  wind  of  doctrine  "  or  drawn  away  by 
every  wave  of  practice.  Nothing  can  be  more  pitiable 
than  such  subserviency  to  environment  —  such  effacement 
of  individuality.  What  a  miserable  thing  is  a  piece  of 
driftwood!  It  initiates  nothing;  it  contends  for  nothing; 
it  yields  to  all  things.  Yet  such  is  man  when  he  basely 
abandons  his  divinely  given  right  of  self-control  and  both 
intellectually  and  morally  "  faces  nowhere  in  particular." 

It  is,  however,  of  drifting  away  from  Christ  that  our 
verse  speaks. 

It  may  be  intellectual  —  drifting  from  the  faith  — 
from  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus. 

Sceptical  notions  are  not  so  much  a  conclusion  definitely 
reached  as  a  condition  into  which  men  have  settled  un- 
thinkingly —  a  residuum  precipitated  from  their  sur- 
roundings, their  reading  or  companionship  or  practices. 

How  much  of  it  springs  out  of  current  literature/  It 
may  be  in  the  form  of  a  novel  in  which  the  orthodox 
minister  is  made  a  narrow  repulsive  character  and  the 
heretic  is  clothed  with  all  the  graces  of  a  noble  life.  It 
may  be  a  periodical  that  in  every  issue  finds  something 
for  criticism  in  the  principles,  measures  and  men  that 
stand  by  the  faith  of  the  fathers.  It  may  be  a  lecturer 
who  wins  the  applause  of  the  crowd  by  his  attack  on 
creeds  and  confessions.  It  may  be  that  no  single  instance 
produces  any  marked  effect.  But  a  continual  dropping 
wears  away  the  stone  —  an  impact  of  sceptical  thoughts 
produces  a  total  effect  that  was  never  anticipated  at  the 
first.  Men  do  not  stop  to  answer  insinuations  and  criti- 
cisms and  therefore  the  impression  remains  and  contributes 
to  the  views  that  are  ultimately  held.  I  know  it  is  true 
that  Christ  was  never  more  in   literature  than  now  — 


196  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

that  Wordsworth  and  Browning  and  Tennyson  are 
saturated  with  Christian  thought.  But  it  is  also  true  that 
there  are  counter-currents  of  infidelity  and  that  there  are 
volumes  that  flaunt  the  name  of  Christian  that  in  their 
influence  as  a  whole  are  unfriendly  to  the  Divine  Christ. 
Be  on  the  watch  as  you  read  lest  you  drift  away  from  the 
truth.  Keep  near  you  some  antidote  to  the  poison  you 
will  find  in  many  a  beautiful  flower.  "  Stand  fast  in  the 
faith,  quit  you  like  men :  be  strong." 

The  drift  from  Christ  may  be  practical  or  experimental 
—  from  the  life  rather  than  from  the  faith  of  the 
Christian.  Each,  however,  is  likely  to  produce  the  other. 
Wrong  beliefs  work  themselves  out  in  wrong  practices; 
wrong  practices  blind  the  eyes  to  right  beliefs.  The  same 
influences  contribute  to  both. 

Here  let  me  illustrate  by  companionship.  We  hear 
much  in  our  day  of  occult  communication  of  mind  with 
mind.  We  may  be  slow  to  believe  all  that  we  hear  men 
tell.  But  who  can  doubt  that  there  are  silent  influences 
of  one  upon  another  as  we  meet?  We  can  scarcely  touch 
elbows  with  a  stranger  on  the  car  and  be  afterward  exactly 
the  same.  But  when  you  add  to  presence,  acquaintance 
and  friendship  and  fellowship,  the  power  of  a  strong  per- 
sonality, of  expressed  thought,  of  asserted  will,  who  can 
estimate  the  power  of  one  person  over  another?  Then 
add  to  all  this  the  power  of  the  crowd  for  men  rarely 
rise  superior  to  its  dictates  whether  the  crowd  be  made 
up  of  many  or  few.  Is  it  any  wonder  that  men  are  borne 
down  by  these  influences  that  come  from  others  —  that 
they  are  borne  along  like  the  fragments  of  rock  in  the 
bosom  of  the  moving  glacier. 

Possibly  some  of  you  have  felt  the  power  of  which  I 
speak  in  your  college  life.  You  have  drifted  away  from 
Christ  through  Christless  companionship.  Perhaps  you 
have  not  so  much  opposed  as  suppressed  Christ  in  your 
lives.     Something  will  be  gained  if  you  recognize  the  fact 


Decision  vs.  Drifting  197 

and  whether  here  or  elsewhere  issue  orders  upon  yourself 
to  discontinue  the  perilous  process.  Still  more  will  be 
gained  if  you  realize  your  impotence  and  cry  to  God  — 
°  Heal  thou  our  backsliding  and  love  us  freely." 

"  Be  not  carried  about  with  divers  and  strange 
doctrines.  For  it  is  a  good  thing  that  the  heart  be  estab- 
lished with  grace."     Heb.  15:  9. 

II.  The  Shield  against  the  evil  of  drifting  away  from 
the  Gospel.  "  We  ought  to  take  the  more  earnest  heed 
to  things  we  have  heard." 

We  will  not,  however  guarded,  escape  the  attack.  We 
will  be  obliged  to  resist  the  forces  that  operate  against  our 
faith.  The  world  will  still  be  round  about  us  and  work 
as  insidiously  as  ever.  But  the  trap  will  be  set  in  vain 
for  the  watchful  soul.  The  boat  that  is  anchored  to  the 
shore  may  be  jostled  and  swayed,  but  none  the  less  it  is 
held  in  its  place;  it  feels  the  current  that  pulls  this  way 
or  that,  but  it  never  goes  beyond  the  length  of  its  chain. 
So  the  soul  that  gives  earnest  heed  to  the  things  of  Christ 
will  never,  however  pressed,  be  drawn  away  from  them. 
What  do  we  mean  by  this?     What  is  earnest  heed? 

It  means  first  of  all,  attention  —  the  intent  applying  of 
the  mind  to  the  matter  in  hand. 

Denial  of  the  things  of  the  Gospel  very  commonly 
arises  from  lack  of  consideration.  Dr.  Johnson  said  of 
Foote,  the  comedian,  "  That  if  he  were  an  infidel  he  was 
an  infidel  as  a  dog  is  —  that  he  never  had  a  thought  on 
the  subject."  And  there  are  other  cases  of  the  same  silly 
sort.  On  the  other  hand  conviction  is  wrought  in  a  man 
by  diligent  thought.  Attention  is  an  act  of  the  will  and 
may  exist  in  various  degrees.  When  we  lay  distinct  em- 
phasis upon  it  we  mean  it  in  a  high  degree.  Ex-President 
Harrison  in  a  recent  talk  on  education  said  this:  "  From 
a  mental  standpoint  there  are  in  truth  only  two  great 
classes  among  men  —  the  men  who  give  attention  and  the 
men  who  do  not."  Christian  truth  will  be  a  thing  of  sur- 
passing worth  to  us  only  when  we  give  resolute,  thorough 


198  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

attention  to  it.  Let  a  whole  mind  be  given  to  it  and  the 
heart  will  be  likely  to  follow. 

The  church  economy  has  provided  aids  to  reflection  on 
the  things  of  Christ.  We  have  in  our  hands  a  collection 
of  inspired  writings — an  infallible  record  of  the  revela- 
tion of  God.  We  have  the  services  of  the  sanctuary  in 
which  the  truth  is  uttered  by  the  living  voice  so  as  to  en- 
gage the  heart  of  man.  We  have  memorials  of  Christian 
facts  making  constant  appeal  to  our  perceptions  and  emo- 
tions. Are  you  using  these  aids  to  attention  ?  Alas !  they 
may  be  used  without  attention  —  in  formal,  listless  way. 
Their  end  may  be  thwarted  and  even  reversed  so  that  in- 
stead of  fixing  the  mind  they  only  lull  it  to  sleep.  Are 
you  not  only  attending  but  attent  to  the  word  of  God 
and  his  worship?  Hold  your  mind  to  the  things  of 
Christ  until  they  make  their  imprint  upon  it. 

Taking  earnest  heed  means  enthusiasm  for  the  truth. 
It  is  an  application  of  the  heart  as  well  as  the  mind  to 
it.  Nothing  engages  attention  to  any  matter  like  interest 
in  it  —  earnest  devotion  to  it.  Why  does  the  man  of 
science  pursue  with  unwearying  diligence  an  elusive  fact? 
Because  he  is  in  love  with  science.  Why  does  the  artist 
linger  amid  the  works  of  great  masters?  Because  he  is 
wedded  to  his  art.  Why  did  John  Howard  dismiss  from 
his  consideration  the  beauties  of  nature  and  art  and  give 
unremitting  attention  to  his  high  calling  of  philanthropy? 
Because  of  his  absorbing  love  for  mankind.  Something 
akin  to  all  these  must  possess  him  who  will  fulfil  the 
injunction  contained  in  the  words  we  are  considering. 
Says  one:  "We  do  not  win  our  strength  and  stability 
by  mastering  ideas,  but  by  being  mastered  by  them  —  held 
in  their  grip."  Paul  was  mastered  by  the  Gospel  when 
he  said,  "  For  me  to  live  is  Christ." — "  I  am  set  for  the 
defense  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ."  There  is  a  vast  differ- 
ence between  a  mere  perception  of  a  truth  and  possession 
by  it.  One  may  say,  "  I  believe  in  God,"  and  another 
lives  as  in  his  presence.     One  says,  "  I  believe  in  a  future 


Decision  vs.  Drifting  199 

life,"  and  another  lives  and  breathes  and  walks  and  talks 
under  the  power  of  the  world  to  come.  One  says,  "  I 
accept  the  evidence  of  the  love  of  God,"  and  another  has 
the  love  of  God  shed  abroad  in  his  heart  by  the  Holy 
Ghost  given  unto  him.  Into  this  deeper  experience  of 
divine  truth  let  us  all  strive  to  enter.  There  is  no  shield 
against  unbelief  like  genuine  Christian  experience  —  like 
the  life  of  God  in  the  soul  from  center  to  circumference. 

I  fear  we  sometimes  feel  that  the  things  we  hear  are 
scarcely  real.  We  contrast  faith  with  fact.  I  lately 
asked  a  medical  student  if  the  tendency  of  study  in  medical 
schools  was  unfriendly  to  faith  in  the  Bible  or  Christ. 
He  replied,  "  In  them  we  deal  only  with  facts  and  leave 
out  of  view  the  realm  of  fancy  and  faith."  It  seemed 
like  an  unconscious  confession  of  the  very  thing  I  feared. 

But  we  all  need  to  re-assure  ourselves  of  the  certainty 
—  the  reality  of  the  things  of  Christ.  The  soul  is  a  sub- 
limer,  surer  fact  than  the  body.  I  am  more  certain  of  a 
percipient  and  a  perception  than  of  the  object  perceived. 
Faith  is  no  fancy  and  they  must  not  be  classified  to- 
gether. Faith  takes  hold  on  realities.  Fellowship  with 
God  is  as  real  as  fellowship  with  men.  Jesus  Christ 
is  no  phantom,  but  the  most  magnificent  fact  in  the  uni- 
verse. Let  us  dwell  upon  these  verities  until  they  take 
possession  of  us.  If  you  have  drifted  into  indifference, 
will  you  not  bestir  yourselves  into  enthusiasm.  Fall  in 
love  anew  with  Jesus  and  his  cause  and  devote  yourself 
to  his  name  and  kingdom. 

Taking  earnest  heed  means  obedience.  We  say  to  the 
child,  "Do  you  hear?"  and  "Will  you  heed?"  To 
heed  means  more  than  to  listen ;  it  includes  regard  to  the 
direction,  caution  or  command.  When  Saul  of  Tarsus 
heard  the  voice  of  the  risen  Lord  who  appeared  to  him 
on  the  way  to  Damascus,  he  was  "  not  disobedient  to  the 
heavenly  vision,"  but  at  once  made  a  full  surrender  to  his 
newly  found  Lord,  and  raised  the  question,  "  Lord  what 
wilt  thou  have  me  to  do  ?  "     From  that  day  onward  he 


200  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

had  no  will  but  that  of  Jesus  —  no  policy  but  that  of  un- 
swerving obedience. 

Said  a  French  nobleman,  "  Every  man  goes  down  to 
Damascus  once  in  his  life."  A  glorious  form  flits  across 
his  vision,  a  voice,  a  summons  is  heard,  the  summons 
enters  into  his  inmost  soul  and  awakens  every  element 
of  his  being  into  an  unwonted  activity.  What  will  be 
the  result?  Decision  will  be  made  on  the  way  to 
Damascus  and  it  will  be  either  obedience  or  disobedience 

—  everlasting  loss  or  gain  —  heaven  or  hell.  How  has  it 
been  with  you?  Jesus  of  Nazareth  has  passed  by  and 
you  have  had  some  glimpses  of  his  glory.  The  Holy 
Spirit  has  exalted  the  Lord  before  your  eyes  and  you 
have  been  attracted  by  his  beauty  and  love.  But  what  is 
the  issue  of  it  all?  Has  your  heart  been  won  and  are 
you  wedded  to  him  in  the  bonds  of  a  perpetual  covenant? 
Let  such  a  decision  be  made  and  you  cast  a  sure  anchor 
against  drifting  away.  You  will  follow  on  to  know  the 
Lord  in  ways  of  obedience  to  his  requirements.  And  as 
you  go  your  assurance  will  increase  and  you  will  be  able 
to  say,  "  I  know  whom  I  have  believed  and  am  persuaded 
that  he  is  able  to  keep  that  which  I  have  committed  unto 
him  against  that  day." 

Members  of  the  class  of  1900,  I  have  announced  my 
theme  in  an  alliterative  way  in  the  hope  that  I  might 
fasten  it  better  in  your  memory  — "  as  a  nail  in  a  sure 
place." 

Decision   vs.   Drifting.     I   have  but  one  aim   in  view 

—  to  move  each  of  you,  if  I  may,  to  an  unalterable  deci- 
sion in  regard  to  matters  that  concern  your  highest  wel- 
fare. 

Ours  is  a  time  of  unrest  in  the  religious  world,  when 
the  bonds  of  many  are  loosed.  Men  are  saying  bitter, 
even  blasphemous  things  of  revered  symbols  of  faith.  It 
is  the  age  of  the  keen,  sharp  critic  rather  than  the  strong, 
heroic  believer.  One  may  take  almost  any  position  and 
find  himself  not  without  company. 


Decision  vs.  Drifting  201 

I  do  not  urge  you  to  a  blind  belief,  to  accept  without 
consideration  every  tradition  of  the  fathers.  It  is  to  be 
remembered,  however,  that  the  old  is  not  probably  false, 
nor  the  new  certainly  true.  But  may  I  not  urge  you  to 
think  in  some  conclusive  way  about  these  things  —  to 
settle  questions  upon  the  answer  to  which  so  much  de- 
pends. Make  up  your  mind  in  such  fashion  as  will  not 
be  moved  by  the  bluff  of  pretentious  scholarship  or  by  the 
gush  and  slush  of  sentimentalism  or  by  the  invasion  of 
pleasure-seeking,  money-loving  worldliness.  Cast  anchor 
at  the  cross  of  Christ  and  the  word  of  God  and  the  life 
of  godliness. 

As  soon  as  you  take  up  your  abode  in  any  place,  find 
in  it  a  spiritual  home.  Join  yourself  to  some  body  of 
Christian  people,  wait  regularly  upon  the  church  services, 
show  an  interest  in  its  activities,  keep  God's  Sabbaths  and 
reverence  his  sanctuary.  Take  your  stand  decidedly  and 
at  once  upon  the  side  of  Christ.  Will  you  do  it?  Deci- 
sion is  yours  and  yours  only.  It  is  an  act  of  will  and 
none  can  perform  it  for  you.  I  plead  with  you  to  be 
a  Christian  in  faith  and  in  practice,  unweakened  by 
frivolous  doubt,  unblighted  by  a  single  cherished  sin. 
Abide  by  the  things  you  have  heard  in  the  old  home 
church,  in  your  father's  house,  from  your  mother's  lips 
—  the  same  that  you  have  heard  during  your  stay  with 
us.  I  plead  for  Christian  decision  as  against  drifting  be- 
cause it  will  put  meaning  into  your  life,  iron  into  your 
blood,  strength  in  your  character.  By  reason  of  it  you 
will  be  a  nobler,  sweeter  woman,  a  manlier  man.  What 
is  more  important  than  all,  it  will  secure  your  soul's  sal- 
vation. How  near  eternity  seems  to  us  these  last  weeks 
as  we  hear  of  one  and  another  crossing  over!  Life  is 
a  thread  easily  broken ;  the  margin  between  the  present 
and  future  is  narrow  and  we  may  stumble  across  it.  It 
becomes  us  therefore  to  provide  against  an  eternal  failure 
by  anchorage  at  the  foot  of  the  cross  of  Christ  —  by  ac- 
ceptance of  the  great  salvation. 


202  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

Let  me  return  in  ending  to  the  figure  at  the  beginning. 
Out  of  this  port  you  are  just  about  to  sail.  You  launch 
out  on  the  great  sea  of  life,  gayly  bedecked,  streamers 
floating,  hopes  high.  I  wish  you  all  a  happy,  prosper- 
ous voyage,  fulfilling  the  poet's  words  about  a  noble  soul 
—  compared  to  a  ship  at  sea : 

He  cuts  his  way  with  skill  and  majesty. 

You  will  touch  at  many  points  as  you  go  and  finally 
enter  port  again  on  the  other  side  —  and  where?  Are 
you  at  the  helm  or  drifting?  That  will  determine  your 
destiny. 

Christian,  God  speed  thee, 

Let  loose  the  rudder  bands, 

Good  angels  lead  thee, 

Set  thy  sails  warily, 

Tempests  will  come. 

Steer  thy  course  steadily, 

Christian,  steer  home. 


SERMON  XVI,  1901 

THE    FINAL   TEST   OF    HEROISM 
And  having  done  all  to  stand. —  Epk.  6:  1 3. 

WE  speak  of  the  battle  of  life.  And  however  trite 
the  comparison  we  keep  on  using  it  because  of  its 
perennial  suggestiveness.  It  has  ever  fresh  illustration 
in  our  personal  experience. 

Even  to  live  requires  a  perpetual  struggle.  It  some- 
times seems  as  if  nature  were  conspiring  against  the  life 
of  man.  The  beasts  of  the  field  thirst  for  his  blood  and 
must  be  subdued  under  him.  There  is  poison  lurking 
in  the  green  and  beautiful  leaf  and  man  must  learn  to  dis- 
tinguish between  the  harmful  and  the  wholesome.  Even 
the  atmosphere  is  sometimes  laden  with  death  so  that  he 
needs  protection  against  its  insidious  attack.  Even  in 
himself  there  is  a  deathward  tendency,  a  waste  that  must 
be  repaired  by  appropriating  the  products  of  nature  and 
pressing  its  forces  into  his  service.  But  if  the  struggle 
to  live  is  great,  the  struggle  to  live  well  is  greater.  The 
moral  warfare  is  more  strenuous  and  unceasing  than  the 
material.  It  is  ever  on  and  on  with  us  all,  however 
favorable  our  surroundings.  There  are  enemies  within 
and  enemies  without,  seen  and  unseen,  open  and  disguised. 
To  maintain  in  the  face  of  them  all  a  pure  and  undaunted 
spirit,  an  upright  life,  a  right  relation  to  the  issues  of  the 
land  and  the  time,  in  every  way  a  conscience  void  of  of- 
fense toward  God  and  man  —  this  is  to  be  a  victor  in- 
deed. But  such  a  triumph  will  not  be  won  without  a 
hard  fight  and  a  strong  Helper. 

The  passage  from  which  our  text  is  taken  is  a  sort  of 
203 


204  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

battle-cry.  The  little  band  of  three  hundred  men  blew 
their  trumpets  and  threw  the  Midianites  into  fearful 
panic  with  the  battle  cry  — "  The  sword  of  the  Lord  and 
of  Gideon."  At  the  battle  of  Naseby  the  soldiers  of 
Cromwell  overwhelmed  Rupert  and  his  cavaliers  with  the 
cry  upon  their  lips  as  they  advanced — "  God  is  with  us! 
God  is  with  us!  "  So  does  Paul  urge  on  the  Christian 
soldier  in  this  passage  to  valiant  deeds.  And  we  may 
urge  one  another  to  the  conflict  and  to  readiness  for  it 
with  the  ringing  words  he  gives  us  — "  Finally,  my 
brethren,  be  strong  in  the  Lord  and  in  the  power  of  his 
might.  Put  on  the  whole  armor  of  God  that  ye  may 
be  able  to  stand  against  the  wiles  of  the  devil.  For  we 
wrestle  not  against  flesh  and  blood,  but  against  princi- 
palities, against  powers,  against  the  rulers  of  the  darkness 
of  this  world,  against  spiritual  wickedness  in  high  places. 

Wherefore  take  unto  you  the  whole  armor  of  God 
that  ye  may  be  able  to  withstand  in  the  evil  day,  and 
having  done  all  to  stand." 

It  is  difficult  to  give  an  idea  of  a  battle  on  canvas. 
Yet  frequent  attempts  have  been  made  by  artists  to  paint 
the  pivotal  battles  of  great  wars.  Rothermel  has  sought 
to  give  us  some  impression  of  the  Battle  of  Gettysburg. 
But  they  are  disappointing  because  only  an  instantaneous 
view  of  a  battle  can  be  given,  while  in  the  real  world 
the  scene  is  ever  changing.  Something  like  this  we  seem 
to  have  in  the  words  we  have  chosen  as  our  text.  There 
has  been  a  preliminary  skirmish  as  the  Christian  has  met 
the  enemy  and  withstood  him  in  the  evil  day.  There 
is  a  lull  in  the  strife  and  the  enemy,  though  foiled,  is 
not  destroyed.  At  that  critical  instant  Paul  paints  the 
scene  as  it  should  be  —  as  it  must  be,  if  the  vantage 
ground  is  to  be  maintained.  It  is,  as  it  were,  a  snap-shot 
in  the  on-going  battle  of  life.  Let  us  look  for  a  little  at 
ths  instantaneous  picture,  this  exhortation  for  a  moment 
of  supreme  importance  — "  And  having  done  all  to 
stand!  " 


The  Final  Test  of  Heroism  205 

It  presents  for  our  consideration  the  final,  supreme  duty 
of  the  Christian  soldier. 

What  is  it?  To  stand  —  to  maintain  the  ground  he 
has  won  —  to  hold  on  till  the  end  of  the  combat.  Thrice 
in  this  entire  passage  is  the  same  word  employed.  In 
the  eleventh  verse  we  have,  "  That  ye  may  be  able  to  stand 
against  the  wiles  of  the  devil,"  and  in  the  verse  follow- 
ing our  text  the  order  is  repeated  — "  Stand,  therefore." 
It  seems  to  express  the  great  thought  of  the  apostle's 
mind,  the  highest  aim  of  the  believer's  life.  Let  him  put 
on  God's  armor,  not  to  glory  in  its  gilded  trappings  for 
it  is  invisible,  not  to  possess  it  as  a  precious  thing  or  heir- 
loom, but  to  wear  it  in  the  actual  conflict.  If  there  is  a 
sharp  attack  let  him  withstand  the  assailant  with  the 
skill  and  vigor  of  one  who  is  well-armed  and  strong. 
And  then,  however  decisive  may  seem  his  victory,  let  him 
hold  the  field  with  unrelaxing  vigilance.  It  will  not  do 
to  stop  to  celebrate  the  victory  or  to  be  off  guard  for  a 
single  moment.  "  Having  done  all," —  all  that  can  be 
done  in  the  way  of  preparation  or  of  actual  engagement, 
let  him  stand  firm. 

There  is  a  subtle  danger  that  comes  to  us  in  the  hour 
of  success,  even  in  the  hour  of  moral  and  spiritual  triumph. 
And  strange  as  it  may  seem  it  is  more  likely  to  come 
in  regard  to  those  traits  of  character  in  which  we  sup- 
pose ourselves  to  be  well  established.  Abraham  was  pre- 
eminently the  man  of  faith  and  more  than  once  his  faith 
was  signally  displayed.  Yet  even  he,  the  father  of  the 
faithful,  failed  at  this  very  point  when  he  thought  of  his 
beautiful  wife  and  prevaricated  for  her  sake  instead  of 
trusting  God.  Elijah  is  the  hero  of  the  Old  Testament 
—  the  man  of  courage.  As  we  read  the  story  of  his 
defiance  of  Ahab,  the  King,  and  his  challenge  to  the 
multitude  of  Baal's  prophets  we  admire  him.  But  just 
after  the  triumphant  vindication  of  Jehovah  on  Mt. 
Carmel,  when  we  might  have  expected  to  find  him  elated 
and   strong   in   God,   he   is  seen   sitting   down   under   a 


206  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

juniper-tree,  dispirited  and  lone,  a  pitiable  creature  wish- 
ing that  he  might  die.  So  may  it  be  with  you  or  me. 
You  may  win  the  day  when  some  temptation  assails  you. 
You  escape  the  snare  that  is  laid  for  your  feet.  It  may 
have  been  a  strong  provocation  to  ill-temper,  or  irrever- 
ence, or  to  discouragement  or  to  grosser  forms  of  evil. 
But  by  your  own  will  and  God's  gracious  help  you  have 
overcome.  Thank  God  for  that!  nevertheless,  be  on  your 
guard  lest  through  carelessness  or  pride  you  prepare  for 
yourself  a  fall.  "  Be  not  high-minded  but  fear."  It  is 
for  you  "  having  done  all  to  stand  " —  to  be  alert  at  the 
very  place  where  you  have  just  achieved  something 
worthy. 

I.  This  duty  to  stand  may  pertain  to  personal  character. 
As  in  Bunyan's  "  Holy  War,"  the  contention  maybe  for 
possession  of  the  city  of  man-soul.  The  Kingdom  of  God 
is  within  us.  It  is  the  business  of  the  Christian  to  re- 
sist the  enemies  of  his  own  soul,  to  keep  his  heart  with 
all  diligence,  to  control  his  thoughts,  affections  and  pur- 
poses and  subject  them  to  the  will  of  God  —  to  abide  with 
God  in  purity  and  righteousness  and  virtue.  Having 
chosen  the  way  of  obedience  let  him  not  be  jostled  from 
it  by  the  world,  the  flesh  and  the  devil.  "  Beware,"  says 
Peter,  "  lest  ye  also  being  led  away  with  the  error  of  the 
wicked,  fall  from  your  own  steadfastness."  And  Paul 
exhorts  — "  Be  ye  steadfast^  unmoveable."  Sometimes 
men  speak  lightly  of  habits  of  virtue  as  if  it  detracted 
somewhat  from  an  act  to  flow  from  a  habit.  But  what 
is  a  habit  but  a  permanent  tendency?  and  is  an  act  any 
less  virtuous  because  it  issues  from  an  everflowing  fountain 
of  good?  What  is  heaven  but  a  place  where  the  in- 
habitants habitually  and  spontaneously  do  the  will  of 
God  —  like  the  "  angels  that  excel  in  strength,  that  do 
his  commandments  hearkening  to  the  voice  of  his  word?  " 
True  there  are  external  habits  that  hold  only  to  the  rule. 
But  there  are  also  internal  habits,  principles  that  reign 
within,  laws  written  on  the  heart  by  the  spirit  of  God, 


The  Final  Test  of  Heroism  207 

The  psalmist  tells  about  them  in  the  1  igth  Psalm.  In  how 
many  ways  he  voices  the  sentiment  of  a  soul  that  is  firmly 
wedded  to  the  truth,  "  O  how  love  I  thy  law!  it  is  my 
meditation  all  the  day " —  we  sing  with  much  fleshly 
fervor.  Do  we  also  realize  its  deep  spiritual  meaning? 
Does  it  give  voice  to  the  profound  emotions  of  our  own 
hearts?  If  so  we  cannot  lightly  set  aside  any  one  of  the 
divine  precepts.  We  cherish  the  spirit  that  will  stand 
steadfast  and  unmoveable  in  all  the  will  of  God. 

After  a  certain  victory  a  staff  officer  said  to  Lord 
Hardinge — "  Havelock,  my  lord,  is  every  inch  a 
soldier."  He  received  this  reply — "Yes,  Havelock  is 
every  inch  a  soldier;  but  he  is  more  and  he  is  better;  he 
is  every  inch  a  Christian."  He  stood  out  amid  the  un- 
favorable surroundings  of  army  life  a  conspicuous  example 
of  fidelity  to  Christ  and  to  duty.  Admiral  John  W. 
Philip  was  not  only  a  valiant  commander  during  the  naval 
battle  of  Santiago  but  brave  enough  to  call  his  men  to- 
gether when  the  battle  ceased  to  acknowledge  God  in  the 
issue.  He  stood  equally  well  for  the  flag  of  his  country 
and  the  banner  of  Christ. 

Some  of  you  are  disposed  to  think  that  it  is  difficult 
to  live  out  the  Christian  life  in  college.  It  is  true  that 
the  life  here  has  its  peculiarities  that  mark  it  off  from 
life  elsewhere.  Stress  is  laid  upon  the  intellectual  side 
of  men  and  women  by  educational  pursuits  and  they  may 
so  engross  the  attention  as  to  exclude  the  spiritual.  Then 
there  is  the  tyranny  of  associations,  the  sway  of  the  mass, 
the  leadership  of  the  noisy  rather  than  the  wise  —  that 
make  it  hard  to  stand  for  Christ  and  what  is  right.  And 
yet  these  conditions  are  to  be  found  everywhere  and  the 
real  battle  with  them  is  after  all  within.  If  we  are  living 
at  a  distance  from  God,  it  is  hard  to  be  a  Christian  any- 
where. And  if  we  are  living  in  perpetual  touch  with 
the  source  of  spiritual  power  it  is  easy  to  be  true  to  Christ 
anywhere.  James  A.  Garfield,  when  a  student  at 
Williams  College,  went  with  a  company  of  students  up 


208  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

into  the  mountain  top  not  far  away  and  as  they  stood  on 
one  of  the  highest  peaks,  awed  by  the  grandeur  of  the 
scene,  young  Garfield  broke  the  silence  by  saying — "  Boys, 
it  is  a  habit  of  mine  to  read  a  chapter  in  the  Bible  every 
evening  with  my  absent  Mother.  Shall  I  read  aloud?" 
And  he  read  and  they  prayed  together  at  eventide  on  the 
mountain  top.  He  stood  for  the  religion  of  his  Mother 
and  his  own.  Alas,  there  are  others  who  are  so  cowed 
by  companions  and  surroundings  that  they  are  afraid  to 
own  that  they  have  a  Mother  that  prays.  Shame  on  the 
young  man  or  woman  who  can  cast  a  slur  on  the  word 
or  worship  of  the  living  God,  or  in  cowardly  fear  dis- 
own the  God  of  his  father  and  mother.  Young  people, 
stand  for  what  you  believe  in  your  heart  of  hearts. 
Stand  for  what  is  clean  and  pure  and  honest  and  Christ- 
like. Unstable  as  water,  thou  shalt  not  excel;  stable  as 
the  rock  thou  shalt  hold  on  thy  way  with  increasing  ex- 
cellence. Hold  fast  what  you  have  attained  and  you  keep 
a  base  for  further  conquest.  Faith  will  rise  to  higher 
faith ;  love  will  beget  more  love.  Every  grace  that  you 
cherish  will  ripen  toward  perfection  and  the  battle  for 
personal  character  will  be  crowned  with  eminent  success. 
II.  This  duty  may  pertain  to  the  kingdom  of  God  in 
the  world,  to  the  war  of  ideas  and  principles  —  to  the 
conflict  between  truth  and  falsehood,  right  and  wrong, 
Christ  and  Satan.  The  line  is  clearly  drawn ;  the  forces 
are  arranged  on  one  side  or  the  other.  Sometimes  in  the 
dust  and  smoke  of  the  battle  we  may  not  be  able  to  dis- 
tinguish friend  from  foe.  But  when  the  heart  is  right 
the  soldier  of  the  cross  sooner  or  later  finds  his  true  place. 
Neutrality,  as  our  membership  covenant  affirms,  is  detest- 
able, if  indeed  it  be  possible.  Vacillation  is  weakness  and 
in  the  place  of  responsibility  may  be  wickedness.  Pilate 
with  his  judicial  authority  might  have  set  Jesus  free. 
But  he  wavered  and  soon  was  over-awed  by  the  clamor 
of  a  mob.  He  comes  down  in  history  with  the  contempt 
of  mankind   though   he  had   the  chance  to  win   golden 


M  The  Final  Test  of  Heroism  209 

opinions  by  following  firmly  his  own  convictions.  He 
left  an  indelible  stain  upon  his  name  because  he  did  not 
stand  by  the  truth  as  he  saw  it.  Is  it  possible  to  be 
neutral  when  in  a  great  cause  the  issue  is  squarely  drawn  ? 
Whether  neutrality  arises  from  indifference  or  cowardice 
it  weighs  on  the  side  of  triumphant  wickedness. 

Oh !  there  are  moments  when  such 

As  will  not  help  to  lift  us,  strike  us  down! 

Neutrality  is  Hate;  the  aid  withheld, 
Flings  its  large  balance  in  the  adverse  scale ; 
And  makes  the  enemy  we  might  have  quelled, 
Strong  to  attack,  and  certain  to  prevail, 
Yea,  clothes  him  scoffing  in  a  suit  of  mail. 

As  Jesus  himself  puts  it  — "  He  that  is  not  with  me  is 
against  me  and  he  that  gathereth  not  with  me  scattereth 
abroad." 

What  is  your  attitude  toward  the  Kingdom  of  God? 
May  you  be  counted  first  and  last  without  question  on 
the  side  of  Christ?  Hesitating,  fitful,  changeful  allegi- 
ance is  not  worthy  of  the  name.  Can  you  stand  for  God 
and  truth  and  right?  Are  you  loyal  to  the  old  Book 
as  the  very  word  of  God,  from  whose  decisions  there  is 
no  appeal?  Are  you  among  the  sworn  friends  of  the 
Sabbath,  and  may  you  be  depended  upon  when  the  day  of 
battle  comes?  Are  you  set  against  every  licensed  or  un- 
licensed hell  on  earth,  whether  it  be  saloon  or  brothel 
or  gambling  den?  Are  you  opposed  to  every  form  of 
slavery  however  disguised  or  gilded  may  be  the  chains  it 
forges  ? 

What,  my  young  friends,  is  your  ideal  for  the  future? 
What  do  you  mean  to  do  for  the  generation  in  which 
you  will  live?  Of  one  thing  I  am  sure  that  the  great 
need  of  this  generation  is  men  that  can  stand  fast  in  their 
personal  integrity  and  in  their  devotion  to  principle.     In 


210  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

almost  every  line  of  business  or  professional  activity  there 
is  pressure  to  be  resisted.  In  some  spheres  of  life  —  the 
political  for  example  —  the  pressure  is  well-nigh  irre- 
sistible. The  wonder  is  not  that  many  fall  but  that  any 
stand  against  it.  Yes,  we  need  brave  men  for  the  times 
we  live  in;  men  like  Edwin  M.  Stanton,  the  great  war 
secretary,  of  whom  one  wrote  — "  Who,  in  leaning  on  this 
man,  ever  found  him  a  broken  reed?  He  never  despaired 
of  the  Republic.  In  the  darkest  days,  though  he  was  oft 
times  full  of  sorrow  and  sometimes  full  of  agony,  yet  his 
steady  nerve  never  trembled ;  his  stout  heart  never  played 
the  coward  ";  men  like  Benjamin  Harrison,  who  was  too 
great  a  statesman  to  be  a  good  politician,  too  strong  in 
his  sense  of  duty  as  President  to  be  swayed  by  venial 
motives,  held  in  higher  esteem  when  he  became  a  mere 
citizen  of  the  Republic  than  during  his  term  of  office, 
admirable  for  his  qualities  of  mind  but  more  admirable 
for  his  poise  of  soul  and  his  high  purpose,  a  man  of  God 
as  well  as  of  the  people,  a  leader  in  the  Church  and  the 
nation,  a  fit  presiding  officer  of  a  Missionary  Council  — 
he  served  his  generation  well  by  the  will  of  God  and  has 
fallen  asleep ;  men  who  in  less  conspicuous  spheres  can  be 
true  to  themselves,  their  country  and  their  God. 

Men  whom  the  spoils  of  office  cannot  buy, 
Men  who  possess  opinions  and  a  will 
Men  who  have  honor,  men  who  will  not  lie. 

We  have  a  great  host  who  can  hurrah.  We  have  not 
a  few  who  can  act  well  on  an  occasion  or  in  a  crisis,  who 
can  advance  in  face  of  shot  and  shell,  who  can  storm  a 
castle  or  plant  the  flag  across  the  seas.  But  the  final 
test  of  heroism  is  to  hold  the  post  of  danger  with  quiet 
determination,  to  stand  calmly  to  duty  though  un- 
supported by  others,  to  bear  the  brunt  of  a  moral  conflict 
in  the  days  of  its  weakness,  to  stand  alone  with  God  if 
need  be.  This  calm  moral  fight  may  be  waged  on  any 
field. 


The  Final  Test  of  Heroism  211 

Dream  not  helm  and  harness, 

The  sign  of  valor  true, 

Peace   hath   higher  tests  of  manhood 

Than  battle  ever  knew. 

They  will  come  to  every  one  of  you  whatever  be  your 
sphere  of  life  —  to  you,  young  women,  as  well  as  to  young 
men.  You  will  have  the  chance  of  heroism  and  I  may  say 
more,  you  will  have  the  spirit  of  it,  too.  It  belongs  to 
woman  to  endure,  to  make  sacrifices,  to  hold  fast  to  what- 
ever wins  her  heart.  If  her  history  tells  not  of  camp  and 
march  and  bloody  strife,  it  tells  of  waiting  and  watching 
and  hardship  and  tender  ministry  and  brave  counsel. 
Recently,  in  China,  women,  as  well  as  men,  braved  the 
ferocious  mob  in  hope  of  shielding  God's  little  ones  won 
to  Christ  from  heathenism  by  their  efforts.  I  trust  that 
none  of  you  may  be  thus  exposed.  But  I  know  you  will 
not  escape  the  moral  test,  the  temptation  to  be  silent  when 
truth  is  on  the  scaffold,  to  be  pliant  when  wrong  is  on 
the  throne,  the  temptation  to  follow  the  ways  of  an  un- 
godly world,  the  temptation  to  compromise  with  Satan 
rather  than  withstand  him.  You  can  only  hope  to  do 
good  in  the  world  as  a  Christian  by  standing  to  your  colors 
—  by  exalting  everywhere  Christ  and  his  cause.  Do  you 
now  ask  me  — "  How  shall  I  be  able  to  stand  ?  How 
shall  I  do  this  either  as  a  personal  or  public  duty?  It  is 
well  for  me  to  be  forewarned  but  only  if  I  may  be  fore- 
armed. 

You  have  sometimes  seen  a  pole  that  is  exposed  to  the 
pressure  of  strong  winds  held  in  its  erect  position  by  wire 
supports.  You  have  seen  a  plant  or  young  tree  tied  to  a 
post  sunk  in  the  ground  to  keep  it  from  a  crooked  growth. 
Are  there  any  ties  by  which  we  may  be  held  to  an  up- 
right life?  Are  there  any  firm  pillars  to  which  we  may 
attach  ourselves  and  be  strong?  The  Church  of  Jesus 
Christ  may  be  a  "  pillar  and  ground  of  the  truth  "  for  all 
who  love  it  and  work  in  it  and  for  it.     The  companion- 


212  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

ship  of  the  choicest  spirits  we  can  find  may  hold  us  to 
the  right  line  of  truth  and  duty,  may  even  draw  us  back 
from  downward  tendencies  to  which  we  are  prone.  So 
my  first  answer  to  your  inquiry'  is  —  Train  with  upright 
men  and  you  will  grow  upright.  Keep  fellowship  with 
the  friends  of  Christ  in  the  services  and  work  of  his 
Church  and  you  will  be  a  friend  of  Christ  yourself. 

But  I  have  another  answer  that  comes  out  of  the  con- 
test. In  order  to  stand  you  must  have  strength.  After 
a  few  years  have  passed  the  young  tree  that  was  coupled 
to  a  post  ceases  to  need  the  latter's  support.  The  winds 
may  play  upon  it  from  every  side  but  it  swings  ever  back 
to  its  perpendicular  position.  Instead  of  doing  it  any 
harm  they  only  assist  its  more  perfect  development. 
What  is  the  difference  between  then  and  now?  It  has 
gathered  strength  with  the  years  and  therefore  is  able  to 
stand  alone.  Our  first  need  is  strength  and  where  shall 
we  get  it?  Paul's  answer  is — "Be  strong  in  the  Lord 
and  in  the  power  of  his  might."  In  another  epistle,  he 
says, — "  By  faith  ye  stand  " —  faith  in  God  and  in  Jesus. 
Speaking  of  his  own  experience,  he  says, — "  When  I  am 
weak  then  am  I  strong,"  and  the  reason  of  it  is  that  the 
"  power  of  Christ  rests  upon  him  "  and  finding  strong 
assurance  in  his  past  experience  he  says  — "  I  can  do  all 
things  through  Christ  which  strengtheneth  me." 

This  source  of  strengh  is  open  to  you  and  me.  It  can 
be  had  if  we  only  believe.  The  reason  why  any  of  us 
have  so  little  strength  is  because  we  have  so  little  faith. 
The  heroes  of  the  ages  have  been  heroes  of  faith.  Moses 
endured  as  seeing  Him  who  is  invisible.  Stephen  could 
resist  the  enemies  of  the  Gospel  and  bear  to  be  stoned 
to  death  because  he  saw  Jesus  standing  at  the  right  hand 
of  God.  It  was  faith  that  enabled  Luther  to  say  before 
the  Diet  at  Worms  — "  Here  I  stand,  I  can  do  no  other, 
so  help  me  God."  It  was  faith  that  made  Gordon  the 
most  heroic  man  of  the  last  century.  And  we  will  be 
truly  brave  and   strong  just  in  proportion   as  we  walk 


The  Final  Test  of  Heroism  213 

before  the  Lord,  as  we  live  in  the  Lord  by  faith.  Let  us 
cleave  unto  Jesus  with  a  faith  that  is  living,  that  will 
vitalize  and  energize  all  that  is  good  in  us.  Let  us  pray 
— "  Lord,  increase  our  faith !  "  Thus  furnished  with 
strength  the  Knight  of  the  Cross  puts  on  the  armor  of 
God  and  enters  on  his  life-long  combat.  The  armor  is 
both  offensive  and  defensive,  visible  and  invisible.  Faith 
is  itself  one  piece  of  this  invisible,  unpenetrable  coat  of 
mail.  When  every  part  of  it  is  on  it  covers  the  head  and 
the  breast  and  every  vital  part.  The  shield  can  be  turned 
to  one  side  or  another  according  to  the  point  of  attack. 
The  sword  hangs  by  his  side  and  it  is  a  keen  blade  pierc- 
ing to  the  thoughts  and  intents  of  the  heart,  laying  bare 
the  subtleties  of  Satan's  wiles  and  devices.  We  cannot 
speak  of  this  armor  at  length  and  in  detail.  But  I  bid 
you  notice  that  it  is  the  armor  of  God  —  prescribed,  sup- 
plied by  God.  For  this  reason  you  may  have  unbounded 
confidence  in  it.  It  will  not  disappoint  you  in  the  day 
of  trial.  You  know  also  where  to  apply  for  it.  It  is 
furnished  by  God  and  He  gives  it  for  the  asking,  "  Stand, 
therefore,  having  your  loins  girt  about  with  truth,  and 
having  on  the  breastplate  of  righteousness;  and  your  feet 
shod  with  the  preparation  of  the  gospel  of  peace;  above 
all  taking  the  shield  of  faith  wherewith  ye  shall  be  able 
to  quench  all  the  fiery  darts  of  the  wicked.  And  take  the 
helmet  of  salvation  and  the  sword  of  the  spirit  which  is 
the  word  of  God  praying  always  with  all  prayer  and  sup- 
plication in  the  spirit  and  watching  thereunto  with  all  per- 
severance." 


SERMON  XVII,  1902 

FOLLOWERS   OF    CHRIST 
Follow  thou  me. —  John  21:22. 

THE  first  impression  we  are  likely  to  receive  from 
the  story  of  Peter  is  that  he  is  very  human.  He  is 
so  like  ourselves,  so  forward  and  bustling  in  his  action, 
so  independent  of  his  fellows,  so  impetuous  and  outspoken, 
so  impressible  and  immediate  in  his  conclusions,  so  prone 
to  err  in  judgment  and  in  speech,  yet  withal  so  frank 
and  manly  and  companionable  that  we  feel  that  he  is  one 
of  us,  of  our  kith  and  kin,  of  like  passions  and  infirmities 
with  ourselves. 

A  second  impression  of  the  story  swiftly  follows.  It 
gives  us  a  vivid  exhibition  of  the  amazing  love  and  grace 
of  Jesus.     It  reminds  us  of  Pope's  line  — 

To  err  is  human ;  to  forgive  divine. 

Recall  a  few  of  the  incidents  of  Peter's  life  that  illus- 
trate both  the  frailty  of  Peter  and  the  Master's  tenderness. 
When  Jesus  foretold  to  his  disciples  his  death  at  Jerusa- 
lem, Peter  could  not  bear  the  thought  of  such  a  cruel  and 
untimely  end  to  the  career  of  his  beloved.  His  unwise 
affection  and  zeal  led  him  to  rebuke  his  Lord  saying  — 
"  Be  it  far  from  thee  Lord;  this  shall  not  be  unto  thee." 
Jesus  in  turn  rebukes  him  severely  and  instructs  him  con- 
cerning the  conditions  of  discipleship  and  a  few  days  aft- 
erward takes  him  up  into  the  mount  of  transfiguration  and 
shows  him  his  glory  and  permits  him  to  hear  the  heavenly 
visitants, —  Moses   and    Elias  —  speaking  of   his   decease 

214 


Followers  of  Christ  215 

which  he  should  accomplish  at  Jerusalem.  He  softens 
his  rebuke  by  bringing  him  closer  to  himself  and  unveiling 
to  him  more  fully  the  secrets  of  his  kingdom. 

You  remember  the  shameful  conduct  of  Peter  which  we 
usually  refer  to  as  his  denial  of  his  Master.  It  was  an 
aggravated  succession  of  sinful  acts,  involving  him  in  the 
guilt  of  breaking  solemn  vows  and  of  falsely  and  profanely 
disowning  his  Lord.  But  where  sin  abounded,  grace  did 
much  more  abound.  One  look  from  his  grieved  Master 
brought  him  to  his  senses  and  led  to  his  recovery.  Pricked 
to  the  heart  by  that  loving,  piercing  gaze,  he  "  went  out 
and  wept  bitterly."  And  when  the  crucifixion  was  past 
and  the  days  of  his  humiliation  were  brought  to  an  end 
by  his  resurrection  from  the  dead  Jesus  sends  a  special 
message  to  Peter  for  his  encouragement  by  the  women 
who  were  early  at  the  sepulchre  — "  Go  your  way,  tell  his 
disciples  and  Peter."  Jesus  knew  how  the  arrow  would 
stick  in  him  and  draws  it  out  with  a  particular  message  of 
love.  "  And  Peter  " —  singles  him  out  from  the  rest  and 
summons  him  to  the  meeting  with  the  disciples  in  Galilee. 
And  now  in  this  chapter  we  have  an  account  of  a  search- 
ing and  gracious  interview  of  Jesus  with  his  erring  disci- 
ple. The  probe  may  seem  severe  but  it  is  the  condition 
of  returning  health.  It  brings  his  love  to  Christ  into 
conscious  exercise  and  prepares  the  way  for  his  complete 
re-instatement  in  his  place  of  honor  and  service  to  the 
Church.  It  is  the  loving-kindness  of  the  Lord  that  shines 
out  in  his  history  from  beginning  to  end.  Love  heals  his 
backsliding,  silences  his  fears  and  doubts,  draws  him  back 
when  he  presumes,  lifts  him  up  when  he  despairs,  urges 
him  onward  in  the  path  of  obedience  and  service. 

And  when  the  interview  comes  to  an  end,  the  first 
word  that  rings  in  Peter's  ears  is — "  Follow  me!  "  And 
when  Peter  seeks  to  pry  into  things  that  do  not  concern 
him  Jesus  holds  him  to  the  message  he  has  already  given 
— "  Follow  me."  Curiosity  about  John  may  well  give 
place  to  thoughtfulness  about  himself,  "  Jesus  saith  unto 


216  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

him,  "  If  I  will  that  he  tarry  till  I  come,  what  is  that 
to  thee?  follow  thou  me." 

It  is  a  message  for  the  disciples  in  every  age  and  may 
contain  some  lessons  peculiarly  adapted  to  our  land  and 
time.  We  hear  a  great  deal  about  the  duty  of  leadership. 
Especially  are  educated  men  and  women  reminded  of  their 
obligation  to  take  their  place  of  leadership.  Be  it  so! 
Our  powers  whether  native  or  acquired  are  meant  for 
use.  Let  one  forge  to  the  front  in  any  line  of  endeavor 
for  which  he  is  fitted  and  carry  others  with  him.  Let 
him  especially  influence  others  to  pursue  worthy  aims  and 
to  help  on  to  triumph  great  causes  of  truth  and  right. 

But  there  is  another  aspect  of  duty  that  is  just  as  im- 
portant. We  are  to  be  followers  as  well  as  leaders. 
This  aspect  of  duty  may  make  a  less  effective  appeal 
to  our  egoistic  age.  It  may  not  flatter  our  pride  so  much 
as  that  of  leadership.  But  there  is  no  real  antagonism 
between  them.  The  largest  and  best  leadership  is  at- 
tained by  those  who  humbly  follow  the  lines  marked  out 
for  them  by  the  providence  of  God.  And  the  valuable 
leaders  of  Christian  thought  and  endeavor  are  always  those 
who  keep  watching  for  the  footsteps  of  their  divine 
Leader.  Christ  puts  no  check  on  a  holy  ambition  but 
rather  spurs  us  on  to  the  highest  greatness  when  he  says 
— "  Follow  thou  me." 

I.  Follow  me  —  follow  my  teaching.  One  who  ac- 
cepts another's  views  of  religion  or  philosophy,  especially 
one  who  accepts  the  distinctive  peculiarities  of  his  system 
of  opinions  is  called  his  follower.  We  thus  speak  of  the 
followers  of  Spinoza  or  Kant  or  Locke  —  of  Mahomet 
or  Buddha  or  Confucius.  And  thus  also  we  call  one  who 
embraces  the  truth  he  announces  —  a  follower  of  Christ. 
In  the  case  of  any  philosophy  of  mere  men  the  view  is  ac- 
cepted because  it  commends  itself  to  the  mind  that  exam- 
ines it,  without  much  reference  to  the  personality  of  the 
author.  But  Christ  is  recognized  by  his  followers  as  one 
who  speaks  with  authority  and  his  teachings  appeal  to  us 


Followers  of  Christ  217 

not  only  by  their  appearance  of  truth  but  by  the  supreme 
source  of  truth  from  which  they  come.  His  followers 
not  only  listen  and  weigh  but  surrender  to  the  authorita- 
tive declarations  of  a  Master.  He  came  to  bear  witness 
unto  the  truth  and  the  Kingdom  he  sets  up  in  the  world 
is  a  Kingdom  of  the  truth.  It  is  ours  to  accept  his  testi- 
mony and  adhere  to  the  truth,  he  declares,  and  because 
he  declares  it.  In  the  fullest  sense  of  the  word  we  are 
to  be  followers  —  not  primarily  leaders,  nor  originators, 
but  followers  —  yielding  assent  to  every  word  which  he 
speaks,  acknowledging  the  binding  force  of  every  precept 
which  he  enjoins.  He  delivers  a  message  and  we  reject 
it  at  our  peril. 

Where  do  we  find  the  teachings  of  Christ?  In  general 
we  may  answer,  "  In  the  scriptures."  The  Old  Testa- 
ment testified  of  him ;  he  endorsed  it  by  his  constant  ap- 
peal to  it  as  the  law  of  his  human  life.  You  cannot  read 
the  story  of  his  life  and  fail  to  get  the  impression  that  it 
was  saturated  and  dominated  by  the  word  of  God  as  then 
possessed  by  the  Jews.  The  New  Testament  gives  yet 
clearer  and  fuller  displays  of  the  truth  —  as  compared 
with  the  Old  is  like  noonday  compared  with  the  dawn. 
It  is  the  record  of  a  revelation  made  by  the  advent  of  the 
Son  of  God.  Like  its  predecessor,  it  is  written  under 
the  inspiring  guidance  of  the  Spirit  of  God.  The  Spirit 
was  promised  to  the  Apostles  to  guide  them  into  the 
knowledge  of  the  truth  and  their  claim  is  that  they  spake 
and  wrote  words  which  the  Holy  Ghost  taught.  The 
whole  Bible,  rightly  interpreted,  sets  forth  the  teaching 
of  Jesus  and  ought  to  receive  our  reverent  attention. 
President  Roosevelt  closed  an  address  to  the  Long  Island 
Bible  society  in  June,  1901,  with  these  words  of  strenuous 
loyalty  to  the  old  Book. — "  We  plead  for  a  closer  and 
wider  and  deeper  study  of  the  Bible,  so  that  our  people 
may  be  in  fact  as  well  as  in  theory  '  doers  of  the  Word 
and  not  hearers  only.'  " 

But  let  us  for  a  moment  confine  ourselves  to  the  teach- 


218  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

ings  of  Jesus  as  uttered  by  himself  during  his  earthly 
ministry.  These  are  found  in  the  four  Gospels,  which 
give  us  a  four-fold  picture  of  his  life  on  earth,  which 
tell  us  what  he  said  and  did.  His  example  is  very  in- 
structive but  his  words  state  clearly  the  things  we  are 
to  believe.  He  speaks  of  the  very  highest  things  —  of  the 
hereafter,  of  immortality,  of  salvation,  of  God  —  and 
speaks  with  the  positiveness  of  one  who  knows.  How 
often  he  prefaces  his  address  with  — "  I  say  unto  you," — 
"  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you."  When  the  traveller 
returns  from  Italy  or  Egypt  or  Palestine  he  tells  con- 
fidently what  his  eyes  have  seen  in  the  country  he  has 
visited.  So  is  Jesus  an  eye-witness  of  the  land  that  lies 
beyond  our  present  experience.  Nay,  it  is  his  native  land 
which  he  describes  —  his  home  with  God.  "  He  that 
cometh  from  above  is  above  all;  he  that  is  of  the  earth 
is  earthly,  and  speaketh  of  the  earth ;  he  that  cometh  from 
heaven  is  above  all.  And  what  he  hath  seen  and  heard, 
that  he  testifieth."  John  3:  31-32.  He  came  from  God 
and  revealed  God  —  as  a  Spirit  to  be  worshipped  in  spirit 
and  in  truth,  as  a  Father  who  has  compassion  on  his 
prodigal  children.  He  came  from  heaven  and  made 
known  what  its  wisdom  and  grace  devised  for  our  ruined 
world.  He  proclaimed  the  advent  of  the  Kingdom  of 
God  with  its  prerequisite  of  a  new  nature  and  the  blessed- 
ness that  springs  from  character.  He  announced  himself 
as  the  Son  of  God  and  the  Saviour  of  men.  We  hear 
him  say  — "  For  God  so  loved  the  world  that  he  gave  his 
only  begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  believeth  in  him  should 
not  perish  but  have  everlasting  life.  For  God  sent  not 
his  Son  into  the  world  to  condemn  the  world,  but  that  the 
world  through  him  might  be  saved.  He  that  believeth 
on  him  is  not  condemned ;  but  he  that  believeth  not  is 
condemned  already,  because  he  hath  not  believed  in  the 
name  of  the  only-begotten  Son  of  God."  He  foretold 
his  own  death  and  its  atoning  purpose.  We  hear  him 
say  — "  The  Son  of  man  came  not  to  be  ministered  unto 


Followers  of  Christ  219 

but  to  minister  and  to  give  his  life  a  ransom  for  many." 
.  .  .  And  again  in  connection  with  the  institution  of  the 
sacramental  supper,  he  says  — "  This  is  my  blood  of  the 
New  Testament,  which  is  shed  for  many  for  the  remission 
of  sins."  He  tells  of  the  last  day  —  the  day  when  he 
shall  sit  upon  the  throne  of  judgment  and  before  him 
shall  be  gathered  all  nations,  and  he  shall  separate  them 
one  from  another,  the  sheep  from  the  goats,  the  just  from 
the  unjust,  and  then  he  seals  their  destiny  by  adding  — 
"  These  shall  go  away  into  everlasting  punishment  but 
the  righteous  into  life  eternal." 

These  are  enough  to  show  that  Christ's  teaching  was  a 
doctrine  to  be  believed  as  well  as  a  code  to  be  observed. 
He  was  no  enemy  to  theology.  You  might  as  well  speak 
of  nature  as  an  enemy  of  science.  It  is  not  necessary 
that  the  bones  of  a  system  protrude.  They  may  be  cov- 
ered over  with  the  beautiful  forms  of  nature  or  of  actual 
human  life  but  they  exist.  There  is  an  underlying  system 
of  doctrine  in  the  teachings  of  Christ  that  comes  clearly 
to  view  when  our  attention  is  turned  to  it.  He  was  no 
boneless,  creedless  sentimentalist  —  no  jelly-fish  or  air- 
cushion  adjusting  himself  to  every  sect  or  opinion.  He 
spake  truth  and  called  upon  all  men  who  heard  him  to 
receive  it.  "  If  ye  believe  not  that  I  am  he,  ye  shall  die 
in  your  sins."  What  a  ring  of  conviction  is  here!  Let 
us  arrange  our  lives  upon  the  same  key  as  his  —  be  fol- 
lowers of  him  in  adherence  to  the  truth  he  taught  us. 
We  may  take  issue  with  the  creeds  of  men,  but  the  creed 
of  Christ  is  truth  itself.     With  Tennyson  we  may  say  — 

They  are  but  broken  lights  of  thee, 
And  thou,  O  Lord,  art  more  than  they. 

Still  they  are  lights  breaking  through  the  clouds  and 
hastening  toward  unhindered  day.  Let  us  not  shut  our 
eyes  upon  them,  lest  we  shut  out  also  the  larger  light 
that  streams  from  the  word  of  Christ  himself. 


220  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

Let  knowledge  grow  from  more  to  more 
But  more  of  reverence  in  us  dwell; 
That  mind  and  soul  according  well 
May  make  one  music  as  before. 
But  vaster. 

II.  Follow  me  —  follow  my  life.  A  follower  of  Jesus 
is  one  who  seeks  to  become  like  him  —  who  takes  him  as 
an  example  and  tries  to  walk  in  his  steps.  The  fitness 
of  this  interpretation  is  so  clear  that  it  needs  no  illustra- 
tion. To  think  as  he  thought,  to  feel  as  he  felt,  to  do 
as  he  did  —  to  labor  and  teach  and  minister,  to  love  and 
sacrifice  and  endure  —  to  do  all  things  as  he  did  —  this 
surely  is  to  follow  him.  Belief  and  conduct  are  very 
close  of  kin.  Belief  leads  on  to  action  and  action  often 
colors  belief.  If  we  accept  cordially  Christ's  teachings 
they  will  move  us  to  conform  to  his  precepts  and  life. 
The  ethical  standard  of  Christ  is  confessedly  the  highest 
reached  by  man  and  is  illustrated  by  his  perfect  example. 
It  thus  gets  a  power  over  men  that  no  mere  code  of 
morals  could  exert.  It  is  concrete  truth  —  virtuous  ac- 
tion —  that  influences  others  to  be  virtuous.  When 
Jesus  goes  before  us  in  the  way  of  righteousness  we  are 
drawn  into  the  same  way  by  contemplating  his  acts. 
Whatever  sentiment  is  embodied  in  action  gets  life  and 
power  thereby.  "  Follow  my  directions,"  makes  no  such 
appeal  to  us  as  when  Jesus  walks  before  us  and  says  — 
Follow  me!  We  cannot  set  forth  in  few  words  the  per- 
fect life.  Our  age  has  been  rich  in  the  endeavor  to 
interpret  the  life  of  Christ  to  the  scholar  and  to  the  child. 
But  no  work  of  mere  man  can  take  the  place  of  the  brief 
biographies  written  by  the  inspired  evangelists.  No  pic- 
ture of  human  genius  impressed  upon  the  mind  can  com- 
pensate for  lack  of  familiarity  with  the  simple  story  of 
the  Gospels.  Let  each  for  himself  come  into  touch  with 
the  Son  of  man  by  studying  the  original  records  of  his 
life. 


Followers  of  Christ  221 

As  we  thus  study  the  portrait  of  the  man,  Christ  Jesus, 
certain  features  will  come  out  in  bold  relief.  First  of 
all  we  find  him  anchored  by  the  throne  of  God,  his  whole 
life  regulated  by  the  will  of  God,  his  whole  soul  per- 
meated with  the  thought  of  God.  How  many  times  he 
speaks  of  his  Father  and  of  him  that  sent  him !  We  might 
condense  the  meaning  of  them  all  in  his  own  familiar 
words  that  tell  of  fellowship  without  break  or  reserve  — 
"  He  that  sent  me  is  with  me;  the  Father  hath  not  left 
me  alone;  for  I  do  always  those  things  that  please  him." 
In  equal  prominence  appears  another  trait  of  his  character 
—  his  amazing  love  for  men.  He  was  no  mere  pietist. 
He  was  equally  pious  and  philanthropic.  The  two  traits 
were  complementary,  each  affording  background  for 
the  display  of  the  other.  He  went  about  doing  good, 
spending  his  strength  in  ministering  to  human  need.  He 
tells  us  that  he  came  to  seek  and  save  the  lost  and  at  last 
he  gave  his  life  a  ransom  for  many. 

The  fine  balance  of  his  character  attracts  the  attention 
of  all  who  study  it.  What  strength  and  yet  what  gentle- 
ness! What  simplicity  and  yet  what  dignity!  What 
meekness  and  yet  what  firmness !  What  calmness  and  yet 
what  sensitiveness  of  soul !  What  love  of  nature  —  of 
sparrow  and  lily  and  child  —  is  combined  with  supreme 
love  of  God  and  souls  of  men!  What  winsomeness  is 
added  to  sinlessness  to  make  him  the  perfect  example  of 


men 


And  now  to  all  this  he  invites  you  and  me.  To  such 
a  sense  of  God  and  enthusiasm  for  humanity,  to  this  many- 
sided  ideal  of  perfection  he  calls  us  all  when  he  says  — 
"  Follow  me."  The  life  of  the  world  has  furnished  many 
inspiring  examples.  Not  a  few  men  have  left  the  world 
richer  for  all  time  by  the  nobility  of  their  deeds.  We 
could  not,  if  he  would,  we  would  not,  if  we  could,  dis- 
possess ourselves  of  the  heritage  that  descends  to  us  out 
of  the  ages  past.  But  no  one  of  the  world's  worthies  ap- 
proaches the  rounded,  symmetrical,  completeness  of  the 


222  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

life  of  our  Saviour.  Though  he  is  more  than  an  example, 
—  though  he  is  our  royal,  atoning  Redeemer  —  he  is  not 
less  a  man  and  a  model  for  our  invitation.  Fellow 
Christian,  the  universal  verdict  of  men  is  that  Jesus' 
character  is  unique,  without  spot  or  blemish.  Can  we 
then  acquit  ourselves  of  blame  if  we  neglect  or  refuse  to 
follow  him? 

Where  shall  we  find  a  perfect  life,  whereby 
To  shape  our  lives  for  all  eternity? 

This  man  is  great  and  wise ;  the  world  reveres  him, 
Reveres,  but  cannot  love  his  heart  of  stone ; 
And  so  it  dares  not  follow,  though  it  fears  him, 
But  bids  him  walk  his  mountain  path  alone. 

That  man  is  good  and  gentle,  all  men  love  him, 

Yet  dare  not  ask  his  feeble  arm  for  aid ; 

The  world's  best  work  is  ever  far  above  him, 

He  shrinks  beneath  the  storm-capped  mountain  shade. 

O  loveless  strength !     O  strengthless  love !  the  master, 
Whose  life  shall  shape  our  lives  is  not  as  thou ; 
Sweet  Friend  in  peace,  strong  Saviour  in  disaster, 
Our  heart  of  hearts  enfolds  thine  image  now. 

Be  Christ's  the  fair  and  perfect  life,  whereby, 
We  shape  our  lives  for  all  eternity. 

—  C.  F.  Richards. 

III.  Follow  me — follow  my  banner.  It  is  a  rallying 
call  from  the  Leader  of  a  great  cause  —  from  the  Captain 
of  the  Lord's  host.  How  much  importance  we  attach  to 
the  flag!  It  may  stand  for  a  society  or  an  institution  or 
a  cause.  It  may  gather  about  it  all  the  associations  of 
fatherland  and  fireside  as  the  flag  of  the  land  we  love 
the  best.     It  is  sacred  as  the  symbol  of  what  we  hold  dear. 


Followers  of  Christ  223 

I  heard  a  man  in  the  frozen  North  with  more  protrud- 
ing granite  than  soil  tell  why  he  would  not  seek  a  home 
under  more  genial  skies  this  side  of  the  line — "  I  want 
to  stay  beneath  the  flag  of  Old  England."  I  heard 
Chaplain  McCabe  tell  how  the  prisoners  in  Libby  Prison, 
during  the  great  Civil  War,  gave  their  last  garments 
of  white  or  red  or  blue  to  make  a  rude  flag  for  the  Fourth 
of  July  and  how  when  he  was  returning  home,  emaciated 
and  feeble  on  the  deck  of  the  vessel  he  kissed  the  folds 
of  the  old  flag  as  it  floated  into  his  cot  while,  with  tears 
of  joy  in  his  eyes,  he  held  it  to  his  breast.  What  is  it  that 
moves  us  in  Whittier's  simple  story  of  Barbara  Frietchie? 
It  is  her  simple,  yet  sublime,  loyalty  to  the  flag  of  the 
free.  To  something  like  this  we  are  summoned  when 
Jesus  raises  the  standard  of  the  cross  and  says  — "  Fol- 
low me." 

He  has  organized  his  church  to  display  and  maintain 
his  banner  among  men.  It  is  the  recruiting  agency  and 
the  camp  of  instruction  of  the  army  of  the  Lord.  Nay, 
it  is  the  army  itself  under  marching  orders,  moving  for- 
ward to  the  conquest  of  the  world.  "  Follow  me,"  means 
identification  with  the  Church  in  its  organized  form  and  its 
essential  activities.  It  may  not  be  all  that  the  Captain  of 
our  salvation  meant  it  to  be.  There  may  be  lines  of  divi- 
sion that  had  better  be  obliterated.  Its  several  parts  may 
not  co-operate  to  secure  the  common  end.  The  esprit  de 
corps  may  lag  and  show  half-hearted  endeavor.  Courage 
may  be  wanting  to  stand  the  shock  of  battle  for  Christ's 
cross  and  crown.  But,  with  all  its  confessed  shortcom- 
ings, the  Church  is  Christ's  own  and  his  followers  must 
not  stand  aloof  from  it.  It  is  the  place  of  promised  bless- 
ing, where  believers  may  grow  side  by  side  in  Christian 
grace.  If  it  is  not  what  it  ought  to  be  you  can  make 
it  better  in  the  little  corner  you  occupy.  Take  a  larger 
share  in  its  work  and  you  will  find  a  larger  profit  and 
pleasure  in  its  service.  Happy  is  the  man  or  woman  who 
makes  the  church  the  place  of  privilege  and  not  of  duty  — 


224  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

a  home  and  not  a  mere  lodging  place  —  a  comradeship  and 
not  a  mere  aggregation. 

It  is  possible,  however,  for  one  to  be  a  member  of  the 
Church  and  yet  not  a  close  follower  of  Jesus  Christ. 
He  ma)7  even  be  near  to  the  preacher  and  not  very  near 
to  the  Christ.  This  exhortation  goes  behind  officers  and 
organization  to  the  Church's  living  Head.  It  is  personal 
loyalty  to  the  Lord  himself  that  is  here  urged  — "  Follow 
thou  me."  Whatever  other  claimants  of  your  devotion 
may  appear  you  must  never  forget  that  you  belong  to 
Christ.  You  must  stand  for  him,  true  to  your  colors, 
faithful  to  your  vows. 

What  will  you  do  when  the  day  of  trial  comes?  Will 
you  make  a  truce  with  evil?  Or  will  you  hold  the  field 
for  Christ  against  all  comers? 

The  test  of  your  loyalty  may  come  in  very  simple 
fashion.  The  temptation  may  be  nothing  very  unusual. 
It  may  be  to  suppress  your  testimony  for  Jesus  in  the 
company  of  the  irreligious.  It  may  be  solicitation  to  join 
the  crowd  in  what  your  conscience  scarcely  approves.  It 
may  come  from  your  social  circle,  your  partners  in  busi- 
ness, your  fellow  partizans  who  constrain  you  to  share 
with  them  in  a  doubtful  transaction.  It  may  appeal  to 
you  with  the  urgent  claims  of  necessity.  Something  you 
prize  will  suffer  if  you  fail  to  join  with  them. 

But  is  there  not  a  paramount  necessity  for  the  Christian  ? 
Let  his  answer  be  — "  Come  what  will  I  must  be  loyal 
to  my  Master.  I  must  not  merit  the  reproach  of  breaking 
from  his  ranks  and  doing  the  work  of  his  enemies."  May 
the  blessed  spirit  in  every  such  day  of  danger  remind  us 
of  our  living  Lord  and  our  first  and  foremost  obligation 
to  be  loyal  to  Him. 

But  following  Christ  means  more  than  resistance  to  at- 
tack. It  means  a  gracious  invasion  under  his  leadership. 
This  evil  world  is  to  be  conquered  and  brought  under  the 
dominion  of  Jesus.  Our  marching  orders  are  — "  Go  ye 
into  all  the  world  and  preach  the  good  news  to  every 


Followers  of  Christ  225 

creature."  Jesus  came  to  seek  and  save  the  lost  and 
lost  men  everywhere  and  the  lost  nations  of  the  earth  are 
the  field  of  conquest  for  his  followers.  The  Son  of  God 
was  manifested  that  he  might  destroy  the  works  of  the 
devil  and  wherever  evil  lifts  its  hideous  head  it  is  Christ- 
like to  strike  it  a  blow.  Who  can  tell  what  the  20th 
century  will  disclose?  We  call  this  a  missionary  age. 
Will  the  Gospel  be  carried  to  every  land  and  tribe  in  this 
century?  We  call  this  a  philanthropic  age.  Will  the 
love  of  man  grow  more  intense  as  the  years  go  until  no 
iniquity  can  withstand  its  fiery  zeal? 

What  will  you  and  I  do  in  our  generation?  Will  we 
help  or  hinder  the  triumph  of  Jesus?  Will  we  be  mere 
camp-followers  in  his  army  or  among  the  never  despair- 
ing invincibles  who  press  on  toward  the  final  victory? 
Our  hope  of  victory  is  sure.  The  Commander  of  the 
host  says  — "  Lo,  I  am  with  you  alway  even  to  the  end 
of  the  world."  It  is  no  mere  captain's  battle,  however 
valiant  the  captains  may  be.  The  commander-in-chief  is 
ever  within  hailing  distance.  When  at  any  point  along 
the  line  there  is  loss,  it  is  because  we  disregard  his  wise 
orders.  He  will  make  this  world  beautiful  if  we  will 
only  come  to  his  help.  He  will  by  his  spirit  make  the 
desert  to  rejoice  and  blossom  as  the  rose  whenever  the 
Church  is  ready  to  follow  him  whithersoever  he  goeth. 

There's  a  fount  about  to  stream, 
There's  a  light  about  to  beam, 
There's  a  warmth  about  to  glow, 
There's  a  flower  about  to  blow. 
There's  a  midnight  blackness  changing 

Into  gray: 
Men  of  thought  and  men  of  action  clear  the  way! 

Once  the  welcome  light  has  broken 

Who  shall  say, 
What  the  unimagined  glories 

Of  the  day? 


226  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

What  the  evils  that  shall  perish 
In  its  ray? 

Members  of  the  class  of  1902,  let  me  urge  you  to  keep 
your  eye  on  your  Master.  The  emphasis  of  the  text 
might  well  be  laid  on  the  last  word  —  Follow  me.  Let 
Jesus  engage  your  eye  and  your  heart  and  your  will  — 
Jesus  more  than  any  other  —  Jesus  rather  than  any  other. 
To  be  subject  to  the  absolute  domination  of  any  fellow- 
man  is  a  degradation,  though,  alas,  no  uncommon  thing 
in  this  commonwealth.  But  to  surrender  to  the  will  of 
your  rightful  Lord  and  Master  is  ennobling  —  is  the  very 
acme  of  freedom.  The  liberty  is  perfect  in  proportion 
as  the  surrender  is  complete.  The  happy  Christian  is  the 
thoroughgoing,  out-and-out  Christian. 

May  I  urge  you  to  unreserved  devotion  to  Him?  Some 
of  you  will  follow  his  flag  to  other  lands;  most  of  you 
will  accept  posts  of  duty  in  our  own  land.  But  wherever 
you  go  and  whatever  you  do,  keep  floating  in  front  of 
you  the  flag  of  the  Kingdom  of  Christ,  whose  cause  in 
the  world  is  everywhere  paramount  to  every  other.  Said 
one  in  Jesus'  time  — "  I  will  follow  thee  whithersoever 
thou  goest."  Let  there  be  no  reserved  sections  of  your 
life  from  which  Christ  is  excluded.  Get  riches,  if  you 
will,  but  not  in  unclean  ways,  nor  for  its  sake,  nor  for 
your  sake  alone  but  for  Christ's  sake. 

Be  ambitious,  if  you  will,  but  for  service  rather  than 
glory.  Pursue  literature,  music,  art,  statesmanship  —  but 
whatever  your  attainments  or  gains,  cast  them  all  at 
Jesus'  feet,  keep  your  eye  on  Him  —  call  no  man  Master 
but  Him  and  no  pursuit  Master  at  all. 

General  Sansom,  a  brave  general  of  the  Union  forces, 
was  directed  to  take  a  certain  fort  in  front  of  Vicksburg 
and  as  the  men  wavered  under  the  enfilading  fire  of 
shot  and  canister,  the  fearless  Commander  seized  the 
colors  of  a  regiment  and  rushing  to  the  front,  waved 
them  over  his  head  and  shouted  — "  Forward  men !     We 


Followers  of  Christ  227 

must  and  will  go  into  that  fort.  Who  will  follow  me?  " 
Inspired  by  his  example,  the  men  pressed  on  and  gained 
the  ditch  in  front  of  the  fort  without  delay. 

Such  a  rallying  cry  comes  to  the  Church  of  today  — 
to  you  and  me.  Will  we  heed  it?  Yes,  there  may  be  a 
leaden  hail  where  Jesus  leads,  there  may  be  attack  and 
wounds  and  anguish  of  spirit,  there  may  be  self-denial 
and  cross-bearing  and  loss  of  life.  But  still  he  calls  — 
Who  will  follow  me?  —  whosoever  shall  lose  his  life  for 
my  sake  and  the  gospels  the  same  shall  save  it.  And  what 
shall  it  profit  a  man  if  he  gain  the  whole  world  and  lose 
his  own  soul.  The  victory  of  personal  completeness  and 
final  glory  will  be  yours.  You  will  scale  the  battlements 
of  heaven  and  be  enrolled  among  the  heroes  of  the  great 
war  of  all  the  world  —  the  war  of  the  Captain  of  our 
salvation  against  sin  and  Satan. 

When  the  roll  of  the  faithful  is  called  up  yonder,  may 
you  and  I  be  there.  With  the  battle  scars  all  healed, 
with  past  anguish  all  forgotten,  with  palms  of  victory  in 
our  hands,  with  our  eyes  still  on  Jesus,  may  we  everyone 
participate  in  that  swelling  song  of  praise  to  our  trium- 
phant Commander  —  Thou  art  worthy  for  thou  wast  slain 
and  hast  redeemed  us  to  God  by  thy  blood  out  of  every 
kindred  and  tongue  and  people  and  nation  and  hast  made 
us  unto  our  God,  kings  and  priests  and  we  shall  reign 
on  earth. 

Follow  Jesus  Christ  through  your  life  and  I  am  sure  it 
will  be  well  with  you  both  here  and  hereafter. 


SERMON  XVIII,  1903 

KNIGHTS   OF    THE    CROSS 

God  forbid  that  I  should  glory  save  in  the  cross  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  by  whom  the  world  is  crucified  unto  me  and  I 
unto  the  world. —  Galatians  6:  14. 

'*'  I  ''HE  age  of  chivalry  has  gone;  the  age  of  human- 
A  ity  has  come."  To  this  sentiment  we  may  sub- 
scribe and  yet  claim  that  the  spirit  of  chivalry  abides  and 
is  fitted  to  adorn  and  ennoble  any  age. 

When  the  institution  was  at  the  zenith  of  its  history, 
there  were  chevaliers  who  lacked  the  lofty  sentiment  it 
was  designed  to  cherish.  Yet  it  was  in  general  as  Burke 
declared,  "  the  nurse  of  manly  sentiment  and  heroic  enter- 
prise." 

Imagine  a  young  nobleman  of  twenty-one  years,  after 
fourteen  years  of  training  and  pleasant  anticipation,  sur- 
rounded by  a  multitude  of  men  and  women  of  rank  as- 
sembled to  do  him  honor.  He  stands  forth  within  full 
view  and  hearing  of  them  all  and  declares  his  vow  to 
"  speak  the  truth,  to  succor  the  helpless  and  oppressed 
and  never  to  turn  back  from  an  enemy,"  and  then  is 
solemnly  invested  with  the  symbols  and  instruments  of 
the  order,  the  belt  and  spurs  of  the  horseman  and  the 
lance  of  the  conquering  knight.  The  long  training  cul- 
minating in  such  a  significant  ceremony  could  not  but 
impress  the  young  novitiate  and  mould  him  into  the  form 
of  the  splendid  ideal.  He  would  rise  from  his  knees  a  new 
man,  with  the  purpose  to  be  true  and  tender  and  brave. 
While  some  would  abide  in  the  shell  of  the  outward 
form  and  only  glory  in  the  fiery  charge  and  the  gleaming 
lance,  others  would  fulfil  the  poet's  picture  of  a  knight  — 

228 


Knights  of  the  Cross  229 

Who  reverenced  his  conscience  as  his  king, 
Whose  glory  was  redressing  human  wrongs, 
Who  spake  no  slander,  no,  nor  listened  to  it, 
Who  loved  one  only  and  who  clave  to  her. 

The  essential  elements  of  chivalry  are  with  us  still. 
The  trappings,  the  joust,  the  tournament,  the  lance  and 
spur,  the  crusade  have  passed  away;  but  courtesy,  great- 
heartedness,  valor  and  honor  abide  with  us.  Paul,  the 
Missionary,  was  a  knight  in  the  first  Christian  century 
and  through  all  the  Christian  centuries  since,  there  have 
been  those  who  have  followed  after  him,  enduring  hardness 
as  good  soldiers  of  Jesus  Christ.  As  one  has  said  — "  The 
modern  phenomenon  has  in  him  the  mediaeval  phenome- 
non, a  chevalier."  We  have  in  Paul's  words  the 
Christian's  vows  of  knightly  devotion  and  service  to  his 
Master — "God  forbid  that  I  should  glory  save  in  the 
cross  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ."  The  Christian  is  a 
knight  of  the  cross  and  if  the  twelfth  century  gave  oppor- 
tunity for  splendid  service, 

When  ever}'  morning  brought  a  noble  chance, 
And  every  chance  brought  out  a  noble  knight, 

the  chances  of  the  twentieth  century  are  unparalleled  and 
the  call  for  heroes  was  never  louder  nor  more  impres- 
sive than  now.  Are  any  of  us  ready  to  respond  to  the 
call  in  the  words  of  the  Apostle,  glorying  only  in  the 
cross  ?  i 

Let  our  theme  be  —  The  knights  of  the  cross. 

I.  The  knights  of  the  cross  are  saved  by  it.  The 
knights  of  the  cross  are  sinners  of  mankind  and  by  nature 
children  of  wrath  even  as  others.  They  differ  from 
many  in  being  conscious  of  sin.  They  have  realized  in 
some  measure  their  degradation  and  their  doom.  Sin  has 
ceased  to  be  with  them  a  peccadillo,  an  indiscretion,  a  mis- 
take, a  pardonable  offense,  an  unimportant  breach  of  rule. 


230  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

It  is  seen  in  the  light  of  a  holy  and  just  law  of  which 
it  is  a  violation  and  of  a  holy  and  august  God  against 
whom  it  is  a  grievous  offense.  It  is  seen  under  the  lurid 
blaze  of  Sinai  and  in  the  clear  light  of  Calvary.  More 
than  anywhere  else  is  sin  seen  in  its  true  colors  in  the 
death  of  the  Redeemer.  If  Paul  could  say — "By  the 
law  is  the  knowledge  of  sin,"  the  church  of  God  reading 
from  the  experience  of  believers  in  every  age  might  say  — 
"  By  the  cross  is  the  knowledge  of  sin."  Economists  tell 
us  there  is  a  poverty  of  lack  of  goods  and  a  greater 
poverty  of  lack  of  wants.  So  there  is  a  spiritual  poverty 
of  sin  and  there  is  a  deeper  poverty  of  our  ignorance  of 
sin.  It  is  the  glory  of  the  cross  that  it  both  makes  us 
conscious  of  our  sin  and  enriches  us  with  forgiveness  and 
peace.  It  creates  the  want  which  it  supplies.  It 
humbles  that  it  may  exalt.  It  awakens  a  profound  sense 
of  sin  that  it  may  appease  it  with  plenteous  redemption. 
It  wrings  from  the  guilty  sinner  the  cry  of  the  aroused 
conscience  that  it  may  answer  it  and  put  it  to  silence  with 
the  peace-speaking  atonement. 

Well  might  we  be  in  consternation  when  we  reflect 
on  the  might  and  majesty  and  purity  of  God  with  whom 
we  have  to  do.  How  puny  must  be  our  defense  against 
his  Almighty  Arm!  I  crush  with  the  slightest  pressure 
of  my  finger  the  tiny  insect  that  all  unconscious  of  danger 
traverses  the  page  as  I  write.  Far  more  easily  might  you 
or  I  be  crushed  beneath  the  finger  of  God.  But,  alas, 
until  the  Spirit  comes  to  unveil  the  deceitful  heart,  we 
are  as  ignorant  of  danger  as  the  insect.  The  flatteries 
of  the  darkened  heart  cause  us  to  have  not  only  inadequate 
thoughts  of  ourselves,  but  positive  delusions  concerning 
our  state.  Like  Laodicea,  we  know  not  that  we  are 
"  wretched  and  miserable  and  poor  and  blind  and  naked," 
we  fancy  ourselves  rich  and  increased  in  goods  and  having 
need  of  nothing.  If  we  only  come  to  know  the  truth 
about  ourselves,  we  are  ready  to  cry  out  in  bitterness 
of  soul  — "  Against  thee,   thee  only,  have  I  sinned  and 


Knights  of  the  Cross  231 

done  evil  in  thy  sight,"  and  vaguely  reaching  out  toward 
the  Deliverer  the  Gospel  brings,  we  ask — "What  must 
we  do  to  be  saved  ?  "  At  such  a  time  the  satisfying  an- 
swer to  all  the  accusations  of  a  quickened  and  guilty  con- 
science is  the  cross  of  Jesus  Christ  —  Christ  —  and  him 
crucified.  Not  the  cross  separated  from  his  personality 
but  the  Crucified  One  meets  all  the  sinner's  need.  And 
yet  it  is  the  cross,  the  death  of  Jesus,  the  blood  of  atone- 
ment that  attracts  his  gaze  at  such  a  time  above  every 
other  feature  of  the  Gospel.  It  becomes,  if  I  may  so 
speak,  the  most  picturesque  figure  in  the  experience  of  his 
conversion.  It  stands  out  bold  and  clear,  not  isolated  in- 
deed, but  central  and  conspicuous,  the  ground  of  peace, 
the  door  of  hope.     Says  Bunyan  — 

Thus  far  did  I  come,  laden  with  my  sin, 
Nor  could  aught  ease  the  grief  that  I  was  in 
Till  I  came  hither.     What  place  is  this? 
Must  here  be  the  beginning  of  my  bliss? 
Must  here  the  burden  fall  from  off  my  back? 
Must  here  the  strings  that  bound  it  to  me  crack? 
Blest  cross!     Blest  sepulchre!     Blest  rather  be 
The  man  that  there  was  put  to  shame  for  me. 

The  cross  gives  the  sinner  an  answer  to  every  accuser. 
Let  Justice  stand  forth  to  plead  against  him.  The  cross 
has  satisfied  every  claim  that  justice  can  present.  Let 
Law  with  stern  and  unchanging  visage  demand  that  her 
threatenings  be  fulfilled.  The  cross  has  magnified  the 
law  and  made  it  honorable  in  the  endurance  by  Him  who 
hanged  thereon  of  an  equivalent  penalty  for  the  sins  of 
men.  Let  Satan,  the  accuser  of  the  brethren,  brandish 
his  sword  and  issue  his  fiendish  challenge  in  the  believer's 
face  and  seek  to  reduce  him  to  despair.  With  his  eye  on 
the  cross,  he  can  answer  the  challenge  with  triumphant 
boldness — "  WTio  is  he  that  condemneth?  It  is  Christ 
that  died,  yea  rather,  that  is  risen  again." 


232  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

To  Martin  Luther  said  the  devil  — "  You're  a  miser- 
able sinner."  "  I  know  it."  "  You  deserve  to  go  to 
hell."  "I  know  it."  "You're  going  there."  "Now 
you  lie,  for  I  am  saved  by  his  blood  who  died  for  me." 

The  story  of  the  conversion  of  Colonel  Gardiner  is  al- 
most trite,  yet  it  is  historic  and  pertinent.  He  had  been 
living  a  roystering,  reckless  life  and  one  night  as  he  retired 
from  his  carousals  his  eye  lit  on  a  book  with  this  attractive 
title  — "  The  Christian  Soldier,  or  Heaven  Taken  By 
Storm."  He  picked  it  up  with  the  intention  of  making 
it  the  mark  of  his  ridicule  and  contempt.  But  as  he  read, 
he  fell  asleep  and  dreamed  and  in  his  dream  he  saw  a 
bright  light  upon  the  book  and  suspended  in  the  air  a 
representation  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  upon  the  cross 
and  he  heard  some  one  say — "This  I  did  for  thee. 
What  hast  thou  done  for  me?  "  He  awoke  conscience- 
stricken  and  sought  and  found  pardon  at  the  foot  of  the 
cross.  The  sight  of  the  cross  both  awakened  and  soothed 
him,  brought  him  to  penitence  and  peace.  So  Bunyan's 
pilgrim  got  rid  of  his  burden  at  the  cross.  Whoever  has 
become  a  knight  of  the  cross  has  been  initiated  by  the 
same  process,  varying  in  intensity  and  detail  but  the  same 
in  contrition  for  sin  and  peace  by  a  sight  of  the  crucified 
one.  Fellow  sinner,  if  you  would  enter  this  noble  rank, 
the  way  is  open.  But  you  must  stoop  to  enter,  you 
must  kneel  at  the  cross.  Your  burden  will  fall  off  at 
the  threshold  and  you  will  rise  to  go  on  your  way  rejoic- 
ing, having  found  joy  and  peace  in  believing  in  Him  who 
saves  his  people  from  their  sins. 

II.  The  knights  of  the  cross  are  its  interpreters  and 
defenders.  They  raise  it  aloft  as  their  standard.  They 
adhere  to  the  doctrines  of  the  cross  and  are  set  for  their 
maintenance. 

What  mean  we  by  the  cross?  It  is  no  meaningless 
symbol,  a  mere  shape  or  figure,  a  rallying  centre  without 
significance.  It  is  no  idle  charm,  or  ornament  to  a  per- 
son or  a  spire.     It  is  no  empty  word,  a  thing  of  rhetoric, 


Knights  of  the  Cross  233 

something  to  conjure  with.  It  is  no  mere  dividing  line 
between  Christian  and  anti-Christian  hosts.  It  has  a 
meaning  for  the  enlisted  soul  and  for  the  world  —  a 
meaning  clear  and  unmistakable,  deep  and  satisfying. 

By  the  cross  Paul  means  the  doctrine  of  the  atoning 
death  of  Christ.  There  is  indeed  light  streaming  from 
the  cross  of  Christ  in  many  directions.  It  affords  the 
grandest  example  of  self-sacrifice  the  world  has  seen.  It 
reveals  God  to  man  and  man  to  himself.  It  is  all  radiant 
with  the  love  of  God.  But  the  centre  and  core  of  its 
meaning  is  the  propitiation  Jesus  made  for  our  sins,  the 
ground  of  reconcilation  with  God  laid  by  his  atoning 
sacrifice.  It  is  expresssed  by  the  Master  himself  in  such 
words  as  these  — "  Even  as  the  Son  of  Man  came  not 
to  be  ministered  unto  but  to  minister  and  to  give  his  life 
a  ransom  for  many."  ..."  I  am  the  good  shepherd;  the 
good  shepherd  giveth  his  life  for  the  sheep  ...  I  lay 
down  my  life  for  the  sheep."  "  This  is  my  blood  of  the 
New  Testament  which  is  shed  for  the  remission  of  the 
sins  of  many."  These  expressions  are  clear  enough. 
They  tell  us  how  Jesus  voluntarily  laid  down  his  own 
life  as  a  ransom  for  many.  Paul  only  unfolds  a  little 
more  fully  the  doctrine  of  the  cross.  Under  the  guidance 
of  the  promised  Spirit,  in  words  which  the  Holy  Ghost 
teaches,  he  interprets  the  event  of  Jesus'  death  after  it 
occurred.  He  tells  us  that  Jesus  "  died  the  just  for  the 
unjust  that  he  might  bring  us  to  God,"  that  "  God  made 
him  to  be  sin  for  us  who  knew  no  sin  that  we  might  be 
made  the  righteousness  of  God  in  him,"  that  "  through 
the  redemption  that  is  in  Christ  Jesus  "  it  has  been  made 
possible  for  God  to  be  "  just  and  the  justifier  of  him 
that  believeth  in  Jesus."  In  these  sentences  we  have  the 
very  essence  of  Paul's  teaching  upon  this  essential  theme. 
There  is  no  mincing  of  words,  no  fencing  on  the  right 
hand  and  the  left,  no  drawing  of  hairlines.  He  who  runs 
may  read  what  Paul  means  and  the  uncritical  reader 
drinks  in   the  truth  with  every  perusal  of   the  epistles. 


234  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

If  the  critics  only  keep  on  eulogizing  the  Bible  and  leave 
the  text  unmutilated  except  in  their  own  minds  and  the 
people  keep  on  reading  it,  we  need  not  fear  the  result  of 
their  criticisms.  They  will  pass  away  and  the  word  will 
continue  to  shine  in  its  own  light  and  the  generations 
to  come  wTill  be  illumined  by  the  word  of  God  which 
endureth  forever. 

It  is  altogether  possible  that  the  meaning  of  the  cross 
will  not  be  quite  the  same  to  all  persons.  One  may  be 
impressed  with  one  phase  of  its  teaching  and  another  with 
another.  To  one  it  may  be  a  spring  of  hope ;  to  another, 
a  spring  of  holiness.  One  may  be  awed  by  its  mystery 
and  another  may  be  attracted  by  its  love.  And  yet  can 
we  do  better  than  to  hold  fast  to  the  undiluted  Pauline 
teaching  and  to  reject  any  contrary  view  of  the  atone- 
ment however  lauded  as  resting  on  a  more  rational  basis? 
We  are  suspicious  of  diluted  views  of  sin  and  law  and 
justice.  Nor  is  our  suspicion  allayed  when  we  find  the 
advocates  of  some  more  modern  view  holding  fast  to 
words  whose  use  is  distinct  and  fixed,  while  emptying 
them  of  their  distinctive  meaning.  We  hear  of  vicarious 
suffering  and  find  that  instead  of  having  its  usual,  sharply- 
defined  content  of  suffering  instead  of  another,  the  phrase 
is  applied  to  every  form  of  sympathetic  suffering.  It 
does  not  mean  substitution  but  fellowship,  not  taking  the 
sinner's  place  but  standing  by  his  side,  the  suffering  of  a 
mother  as  she  beholds  the  sufferings  of  her  child,  of  the 
family  when  any  member  of  it  incurs  dishonor.  Then, 
too,  we  find  the  word  satisfaction  used  in  a  similar  way. 
It  has  had  a  clear  meaning  of  satisfaction  to  divine  jus- 
tice. But  though  the  stalwart  word  is  retained,  it  is 
shorn  of  its  strength,  for  justice  is  well-nigh  eliminated 
from  the  vocabulary7  of  this  modern  view  and  from  the 
character  of  God.  I  searched  in  vain  through  a  recent 
and  admirable  work  to  find  the  word  justice  in  connection 
with  the  discussion  of  the  atonement.  Although  the 
words  sin  and  law,  atonement  and  vicarious  suffering,  ex- 


Knights  of  the  Cross  235 

piation  and  satisfaction  are  found,  the  justice  of  God  is 
never  mentioned.  Has  not  the  strong  coloring  faded  out 
of  these  words  when  they  are  used  without  any  reference 
to  the  divine  justice?  What  is  sin  if  there  be  no  righteous 
moral  Governor?  What  is  atonement  on  the  divine  side, 
if  there  be  no  justice  to  be  appeased?  The  mystery  of  the 
cross  grows  upon  us,  if  there  is  no  reason  for  the  suffer- 
ings of  Christ  in  the  necessities  of  the  case,  in  the  de- 
mands of  inflexible  justice  of  Him  with  whom  we  have 
to  do. 

Let  the  knights  of  the  cross  face  the  awful  facts  of 
their  sinful,  lost,  ruined  state  and  think  of  sin  as  an  of- 
fense against  a  holy  law  and  a  holy  and  just  God.  Then 
let  them  glory  in  the  safe  hiding  place  afforded  them 
in  the  cleft  rock  of  the  Redeemer's  side  and  keep  on 
telling  to  a  lost  world  "  the  old,  old  story  of  the  cross," 
as  the  propitiation  for  our  sins,  the  satisfaction  to  divine 
justice  and  because  of  this  the  utmost  display  of  the  divine 
love. 

III.  The  knights  of  the  cross  march  under  the  banner 
of  the  cross  to  the  conquest  of  the  world.  They  are  not 
content  to  enjoy  its  shelter  while  others  are  out  in  the 
storm.  They  are  acknowledged  debtors  to  the  world  till 
all  the  nations  are  under  its  protection.  It  cannot  be 
too  much  to  say  that  one  cannot  be  a  Christian  who  has 
none  of  the  evangelistic  spirit  and  that  he  is  most  like 
Christ  whose  strong  desire  is  to  spread  the  goods  news 
of  salvation  to  the  ends  of  the  earth.  Mr.  Moody  said 
— "  Before  my  conversion  I  worked  toward  the  cross,  but 
since  then  I  have  worked  from  the  cross ;  then  I  worked 
to  be  saved,  now  I  work  because  I  am  saved."  He  does 
not  hoard  the  treasure  won  but  distributes  it  to  others 
and  by  a  strange  law  of  spiritual  economics  increases  it 
for  himself.     He  grows  in  grace  as  he  gives  it  away. 

The  fact  of  the  crucifixion  is  not  one  to  be  concealed 
anywhere.  Jesus  did  not  seek  to  escape  from  the  cross, 
but  pressed  on  to  Jerusalem  to  endure  its  torture  and 


236  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

shame.  Nor  would  he  have  his  disciples  hide  it  from 
any  sinner's  view.  On  the  contrary  he  instituted  a 
memorial  to  keep  it  ever  fresh  in  their  recollection.  The 
Papal  missionaries  to  the  Chinese  not  only  misinterpreted 
the  mind  of  the  Master,  but  misrepresented  the  Gospel  it- 
self by  the  suppression  of  all  testimony  to  his  death.  The 
very  heart  of  the  Gospel  lies  in  the  cross. 

So  far  from  keeping  under  all  reference  to  the  cross, 
we  must  keep  it  conspicuous  in  our  propagation  of  the 
Gospel.  After  Constantine's  vision  of  the  cross  in  the 
heavens  his  battle-cry  was  — "  In  hoc  signo  vinces  " — by 
this  sign  we  conquer.  Let  it  be  ours  likewise.  That 
which  distinguishes  Christianity  from  every  other  re- 
ligion is  the  cross  of  Christ  and  God  forbid  that  we 
should  glory  save  in  the  cross  and  in  Him  who  was  nailed 
to  it.  Listen  to  Paul  as  he  writes  to  the  Corinthians  — 
(1  Cor.  1 :  17)  — "  Christ  sent  me  not  to  baptize  but  to 
preach  the  Gospel;  not  with  wisdom  of  words  lest  the 
cross  be  made  of  none  effect.  For  the  preaching  of  the 
cross  is  to  them  that  perish  foolishness,  but  unto  us  which 
are  saved  it  is  the  power  of  God."  ..."  For  after  that 
in  the  wisdom  of  God,  the  world  by  wisdom  knew  not 
God,  it  pleased  God  by  the  foolishness  of  preaching  to 
save  them  that  believe.  For  the  Jews  require  a  sign 
and  the  Greeks  seek  after  wisdom ;  but  we  preach  Christ 
crucified,  unto  the  Jews  a  stumbling-block  and  unto  the 
Greeks  foolishness,  but  unto  them  that  are  called,  both 
Jews  and  Greeks,  Christ  the  power  of  God  and  the 
wisdom  of  God." 

Dr.  Storrs  speaks  of  Jesus  as  the  "  supreme  visionary 
of  the  world,"  when  he  said  when  the  inquiring  Greeks 
sought  him — "And  I  if  I  be  lifted  up  from  the  earth 
will  draw  all  men  unto  me."  The  cross  was  then  the 
symbol  of  shame,  the  way  of  death  for  the  worst  criminal. 
To  die  thus  seemed  like  the  vanishing  of  the  last  flicker- 
ing hope  of  success,  the  descent  into  oblivion.  Yet  Jesus 
in  that  hour  declared  it  to  be  the  beginning  of  power, 


Knights  of  the  Cross  237 

the  condition  of  the  world's  conquest.  And  his  words 
are  coming  true.  The  vision  is  coming  to  a  fuller  reali- 
zation as  the  centuries  pass  and  the  magnetic,  transform- 
ing power  of  the  cross  is  felt  today  as  never  before  in 
the  history  of  the  world.  Men  are  going  forth  into  all 
lands  bearing  aloft  the  standard  of  the  cross  and  strong 
in  the  conviction  that  the  Master's  words  were  true  and 
that  the  Crucified  One  will  draw  all  men  unto  himself. 

What  induces  any  one  to  become  a  missionary  to 
the  heathen?  If  the  religion  of  Christ  is  not  essential, 
if  it  is  not  the  only  hope  of  the  world,  why  make  sacri- 
fices to  send  it  abroad?  If  any  other  religion  answers 
the  need  of  any  people,  why  seek  to  displace  it  by  an- 
other? If  Christianity  offers  nothing  that  the  heathen 
religions  cannot  furnish,  why  are  precious  lives  given 
to  such  a  useless  task?  It  is  not  so.  The  missionary 
goes  because  he  believes  the  world  is  dying  without  the 
Gospel,  that  it  contains  the  only  remedy  for  sin-sick 
humanity. 

What  will  he  do  when  he  reaches  the  benighted  lands? 
What  will  he  say  to  weary,  heavy-laden,  burdened  souls? 
Will  he  linger  long  by  the  beautiful  precepts  sprinkled 
through  their  own  sacred  writings?  Will  he  compare 
the  ethical  precepts  of  Christ  and  urge  their  acceptance 
as  something  just  a  little  better?  Will  he  not  rather 
satisfy  the  hungry  heart  with  the  announcement  of  for- 
giveness? Will  he  not  disclose  the  love  of  God  to  one 
who  seeks  in  vain  to  appease  the  anger  of  his  gods  ?  Will 
he  not  point  to  the  crucified  one  and  say  — "  There  is  the 
propitiation  for  your  sins"?  Will  he  not  tell  the  story 
of  the  cross  and  say  — "  The  blood  of  Jesus  Christ 
cleanseth  from  all  sin"  ?  Tidings  such  as  these  are  found 
nowhere  else.  They  meet  the  sinner's  need.  They 
answer  that  cry  —  that  universal  cry  —  that  comes  out 
of  the  depths  of  the  human  soul  everywhere  —  What 
must  I  do  to  be  saved  ? 

Dr.  Burrell  tells  a  story  received  by  him  from  the  lips 


238  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

of  a  veteran  missionary  in  India  —  Dr.  Chamberlain  — 
of  one  coming  to  the  Ganges  on  hands  and  knees  to  bathe 
in  its  waters  that  he  might  find  peace  for  his  conscience. 
He  crept  out  of  the  river  and  lay  upon  its  banks  in 
despair  because  his  gnawing  pain  remained.  As  he  lay 
there,  he  heard  the  missionary's  voice  as  he  preached  the 
Gospel  under  a  banyan  tree  near  by.  He  came  nearer 
and  heard  the  story  of  the  cross  and  it  made  an  instant 
appeal  to  him.  He  rose  upon  his  knees  and  listened, 
then  to  his  feet,  then  clapped  his  hands  and  cried  — 
"That's  what  I  want!  That's  what  I  want!"  It  is 
what  men  everywhere  want.  Down  in  the  slums  of  our 
great  cities  and  out  in  the  wild  life  of  the  frontier  and 
in  the  heart  of  Africa  and  along  the  coast  of  Siam  and 
in  India  and  Egypt  this  is  the  news  men  are  hungry  to 
hear.  Well  may  our  heroic  missionaries  go  forth  with 
the  joyous  enthusiasm  of  couriers  of  good  tidings,  for 
they  have  something  to  give  adapted  to  the  wants  of 
those  they  address.  Gallant  knights  are  they  —  the  Jud- 
sons  and  Paton  and  Mackay  —  Dunlap  and  McCauley 
and  Mateer  —  and  our  own  noble  standard-bearers  in 
Egypt  and  India.  Will  any  among  us  be  honored  to 
stand  by  their  side?  Will  any  among  us  occupy  these 
high  places  of  the  field?  Let  us  at  least  enter  into  the 
splendid  fellowship  of  those  who  do  by  being  mission- 
aries wherever  God  places  us  and  by  giving  and  praying 
for  the  missionary  cause.  We  can  salute  the  same  flag 
and  fight  the  same  battle  and  win  like  victories  by  the 
same  means.  All  hail!  this  blessed  day  when  the  open 
door  beckons  every  Christian  to  service,  when  the 
Macedonian  cry  is  sounding  in  the  ears  of  the  whole 
church  and  the  chances  for  knightly  devotion  abound. 
Wherever  we  labor  and  in  whatever  calling  let  us  each 
do  our  part  in  exalting  the  cross  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
Let  us  help  to  send  its  glad  message  to  the  ends  of  the 
earth  in  the  generation  in  which  we  live. 

Members  of  the  class  of  1903,  I  rejoice  to  believe  that 


Knights  of  the  Cross  239 

most  of  you,  perhaps  all  of  you,  are  saved  by  the  cross. 
If  any  one  is  yet  away  from  Christ,  I  pray  you  to  hasten 
to  him  ere  the  thickening  cares  of  life  cast  up  a  barrier 
hard  to  overcome  or  the  chains  of  habit  bind  you  to 
eternal  death.  What  will  it  profit  you  when  your  life 
ends,  however  great  in  learning,  riches  and  honor  it  may 
have  been,  if  you  are  unsaved?  Once  more  I  invite  you 
to  the  cross  of  Christ  which  is  the  power  of  God  unto 
salvation  to  every  one  that  believeth.  Some  of  you  will 
be  preachers  of  the  cross.  I  submit  to  you  there  is  no 
higher  vocation  than  this.  Dr.  Cuyler,  when  demitting 
his  charge,  said  to  his  people  concerning  his  life  in  the 
ministry  — "  When  I  recall  the  joy  of  my  44  years  of 
public  ministry,  I  often  shudder  at  the  fact  of  how  near 
I  came  to  losing  it.  For  many  months  my  mind  was 
balancing  between  the  attractions  of  a  legal  and  political 
career.  A  single  hour  in  a  village  prayer-meeting  turned 
the  scale.  .  .  .  Would  that  I  could  lift  up  my  voice  in 
every  academy,  college  and  university  on  the  broad  con- 
tinent. I  would  say  to  every  gifted  Christian  youth  — 
God  and  humanity  have  need  of  you." 

Is  it  too  much  to  say  that  every  educated  young  man 
with  sufficient  gifts  ought  to  be  able  —  not  to  give  rea- 
sons why  he  should,  but  reasons  why  he  should  not  enter 
the  Gospel  ministry?  All  other  avenues  are  full  but  this. 
It  may  not  offer  large  worldly  gains,  but  it  does  offer 
large  returns  of  satisfaction  now  and  large  rewards  of 
grace  hereafter. 

I  wish  your  theology  might  get  from  the  start  a  definite 
and  indelible  stamp  from  the  cross.  Some  months  ago 
I  had  occasion  to  take  a  short  trip  through  the  country 
to  a  place  I  had  never  visited.  As  the  way  was  new, 
I  watched  with  some  eagerness  the  finger-boards  at  the 
parting  of  the  ways.  Some  were  bold  and  clear  and  a 
joy  to  the  ignorant  traveller's  heart,  others  were  a  dis- 
appointment as  the  names  and  figures  in  some  were 
wholly   faded   out   and    in   others   scarcely   decipherable. 


240  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

Others  were  so  placed  that  it  was  difficult  to  tell  in  which 
direction  they  were  pointing.  Let  it  not  be  so  with  you. 
Point  the  wayfarer  on  life's  highway  without  vagueness 
or  veering  to  Christ  and  him  crucified.  Say  to  every  in- 
quiring soul  in  unmistakable  terms  —  To  the  cross!  to 
the  cross!  "Be  determined  like  Saul  to  know  nothing 
among  your  people  save  Jesus  Christ  and  him  crucified." 
Finally,  my  young  friends,  let  me  say  to  you  —  Use  the 
cross  in  your  spiritual  life.  Sit  beneath  it  and  think. 
You  will  be  humbled  by  a  sight  of  its  anguish  and  con- 
strained by  its  love  and  moved  to  self-sacrifice  by  its  in- 
spiring example. 

Keep  your  eye  there  and  you  will  be  humble.  Among 
the  eulogies  of  Emerson  lately  given,  I  was  a  little  sur- 
prised to  find  this  given  as  a  matter  of  praise  that  "  he 
taught  men  not  to  be  humble."  If  it  be  so,  I  would 
rather  take  a  lesson  from  the  Seer  of  Nazareth  than 
from  the  seer  of  Concord  —  from  the  lowly  Nazarene 
who  said  — "  Take  my  j'oke  upon  you  and  learn  of  me, 
for  I  am  meek  and  lowly  in  heart."  It  becomes  us  to  be 
humble  in  view  of  what  we  are  and  of  what  God  is. 

Keep  your  eye  on  the  cross  and  your  love  will  grow. 
You  will  love  him  who  has  so  loved  you.  You  will  be 
impelled  by  love  like  his  to  serve  mankind.  You  will 
grow  in  holiness  which  is  the  fruit  of  love.  The  world 
will  be  crucified  unto  you  and  you  unto  the  world. 

Keep  your  eye  on  the  cross  and  you  will  be  happy. 
It  will  be  a  well-spring  of  joy  to  you.  You  will  see 
the  price  of  your  ransom  and  rejoice  in  your  liberty. 
You  will  rest  anew  on  the  foundation  of  your  faith  and 
be  at  peace.  Your  feet  will  be  on  the  rock  and  you  will 
have  a  new  song  in  your  mouth,  even  praise  to  our  God. 

In  view  of  all  the  cross  is  to  you  —  of  forgiveness  and 
purity  and  abounding  joy  —  and  in  view  of  all  it  is  to  the 
world  —  of  hope  and  renewal  and  deliverance,  let  your 
banner,  your  battle-cry,  and  your  song  of  triumph  be  — 
The  Cross!     The  Cross! 


Knights  of  the  Cross  241 

Thy  cross  and  passion  and  thy  precious  death 

While  I  have  mortal  breath, 
Shall  be  my  spring  of  love  and  work  and  praise, 

The  life  of  all  my  days ; 
Till  all  the  mystery  of  love  supreme 

Be  solved  in  glory,  glory's  endless  theme. 

God  forbid  that  I  should  glory  save  in  the  cross  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  by  whom  the  world  is  crucified  unto  me 
and  I  unto  the  world." 


SERMON  XIX,  1904 

THE    MANLINESS   OF    CHRIST 

Jesus,  therefore,  knowing  all  things  that  should  come  upon  Him, 
went  forth  and  said  unto  them  — "  Whom  seek  ye?  "  They  an- 
swered Him,  "  Jesus  of  Nazareth."  Jesus  saith  unto  them,  "  I 
am  He." — John  18:  4,  5. 

IF,  as  the  poet  says — "The  Christian  is  the  highest 
style  of  man,"  it  is  because  he  copies  after  a  perfect 
model.  Jesus  of  Nazareth  acquitted  himself  as  a  man 
at  every  stage  and  crisis  of  his  earthly  course.  To  follow 
him  closely  is  to  attain  the  highest  possible  excellence. 

He  knew  how  to  bear  prosperity.  Many  a  man  who 
boldly  confronts  a  foe  will  fail  to  resist  the  enticements 
of  a  friend.  He  who  quails  not  before  the  angry  mob 
may  be  swerved  from  the  right  line  of  integrity  by  the 
huzzas  of  the  cheering  crowd.  It  is  one  of  the  severest 
tests  of  manliness  when  those  who  admire  a  man  and 
lift  him  into  prominence,  urge  upon  him  what  duty  for- 
bids him  to  accept.  To  listen  to  the  "  still,  small  voice  " 
within,  and  turn  away  from  the  clamor  of  the  mistaken 
multitude  without,  requireth  the  rarest  courage.  He  is 
truly  self-poised  who  can  stand  erect  despite  both  the 
false  attraction  of  friends  and  the  resistance  of  foes. 
How  did  Jesus  endure  this  supreme  test?  In  the  palmy 
days  of  his  public  ministry,  when  multitudes  came  to  hear 
him,  how  did  he  act?  He  never  swerved  in  the  least 
from  the  straight  line  of  uprightness  and  truth.  To  great 
and  to  small  he  declared  the  same  message.  In  the 
Sermon  on  the  Mount  he  presented  an  ideal  of  true  living 
that  contradicted  squarely  the  notions  then  prevalent. 
To  Nicodemus,  a  ruler  of  the  Jews,  He  spake  no  flatter- 

242 


The  Manliness  of  Christ  243 

ing  conciliatory  words  because  of  his  high  position.  He 
astonished  him  with  the  bold  challenge  — "  You  must  be 
born  again."  Wherever  he  was,  whether  at  the  well  of 
Sychar  talking  with  the  women  of  Samaria,  or  in  the 
house  of  one  of  the  chief  Pharisees,  He  spake  brave, 
honest  words,  such  as  were  needed.  He  yielded  neither 
to  Mary  at  Cana,  nor  to  his  brethren  in  their  excessive 
prudence,  nor  to  his  disciples  who  would  stay  him  from 
the  cross,  nOr  to  the  multitude  who  would  take  him  by 
force  and  make  him  a  king. 

It  is,  however,  under  circumstances  of  an  opposite 
character  that  the  text  presents  the  man  Christ  Jesus. 
He  knew  how  to  bear  adversity.  Within  a  few  hours  of 
his  life  have  been  crowded  many  important  events  and 
experiences.  The  Last  Supper  was  not  yet  finished  when 
Judas  went  out  into  the  night  to  carry  out  his  black 
designs  against  his  Master.  While  he  was  busy  with  the 
chief  priests  consummating  his  villainous  bargain  and 
gathering  the  motley  crowd  that  came  with  swords  and 
staves  to  apprehend  him,  the  Son  of  Man  was  passing 
through  the  untold  agonies  of  Gethsemane.  Though 
he  shrank  from  the  cup  that  contained  ingredients  of 
Divine  wrath  as  well  as  hellish  fury,  such  as  no  martyr 
ever  experienced,  he  yet  prevailed  in  prayer  to  the  Father 
so  as  to  say  heartily  — "  Nevertheless,  not  as  I  will,  but 
as  thou  wilt."  And  now  the  band  is  at  the  garden  gate 
eagerly  seeking  their  prey.  Judas  leads  them  to  the 
spot  whither  he  knew  his  Master  was  accustomed  to  re- 
sort with  his  disciples.  But  the  base  kiss,  the  prear- 
ranged signal  by  which  he  should  single  him  out  from 
the  rest,  was  not  needed.  "  Jesus,  therefore,  knowing  all 
things  that  should  come  upon  him,  went  forth  and  said 
unto  them  —  Whom  seek  ye  ?  They  answer  him,  Jesus 
of  Nazareth.     Jesus  saith  unto  them  —  I  am  He." 

Let  us  consider  — "  The  Manliness  of  Christ  "  as 
brought  out  in  this  connection.  It  is  clearly  manliness 
shown  in  circumstances  of  adversity,  of  seizure,  of  ap- 


244  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

proaching  disgrace  and  death,  of  disaster  and  defeat  ap- 
parently overwhelming.  How  did  he  act  in  the  trying 
moment?     In  what  does  his  manliness  appear? 

I.  The  manliness  of  Christ  does  not  consist,  in  any 
measure,  in  physical  strength,  nor  arise  from  the  con- 
sciousness thereof. 

When  he  came  boldly  forth  to  meet  his  enemies,  it  was 
not  because  he  relied  on  any  physical  force  to  resist  them. 
When  Peter  rashly  used  his  sword  and  struck  a  servant 
of  the  high-priest,  Jesus  disclaimed  all  responsibility  for 
the  act  by  touching  his  wound  and  healing  it.  He  re- 
fused to  use  the  force  that  was  under  his  control,  or  to 
call  to  his  aid  the  legions  of  angels  on  high  that  stood 
ready  to  do  his  bidding.  In  his  own  strength,  as  a  man, 
he  certainly  was  not  stronger  than  others;  and  in  the 
devoted,  but  defenseless  eleven  that  were  with  Him  in 
the  garden,  He  had  but  a  poor  dependence.  Nor  did  he 
expect  the  Divine  power  to  be  put  forth  in  his  behalf 
at  this  point.  He  did  not  expect  to  escape  through  a 
panic  of  his  foes,  as  the  sequel  shows  he  might  have  done. 
It  was  in  the  utter  abandonment  of  all  these  things  as  a 
ground  of  fearlessness  that  his  true  nobility  as  a  man  ap- 
peared. 

It  may  seem  needless  to  assert  this  point.  But  when 
such  stress  is  laid  on  physical  culture  as  in  our  time  and 
popular  helps  to  this  are  glorified  as  the  only  manly 
sports,  it  may  not  be  amiss  to  estimate  physical  strength 
at  its  true  value  as  related  to  manhood.  A  man  may 
be  a  champion  in  the  prize  ring  and  be  a  poltroon.  He 
may  be  the  Samson  of  his  neighborhood  and  be  nothing 
but  a  bully  and  a  coward  after  all.  Let  health  and 
strength  be  sought  by  means  of  athletic  sports,  but  let 
them  not  be  canonized  and  exalted  above  measure  but 
made  to  serve  a  manly  spirit  that  resides  within  a  sound 
body. 

II.  The  manliness  of  Christ  was  not  mere  hardihood. 
Fearlessness  does  indeed  enter  into  true  manliness;  but 


The  Manliness  of  Christ  245 

if  it  stands  alone,  it  comes  far  short  of  it;  it  is  grim  and 
unlovely,  commanding  respect  but  kindling  no  enthusiasm. 
The  sentiment  of  Emerson  — "  Always  do  what  you  are 
afraid  to  do,"  must  be  taken  with  some  allowance.  To 
accustom  one's  self  to  face  danger,  when  circumstances 
demand  it,  is  no  doubt  an  advantage:  but  to  court  danger 
for  sake  of  our  own  discipline  alone  is  scarcely  justifiable. 

The  same  false  principle  underlies  what  has  been 
falsely  called  the  "  code  of  honor."  It  applauds  reck- 
lessness of  danger  at  the  expense  of  all  moral  considera- 
tions. It  gives  a  stamp  to  the  counterfeit  that  belongs 
of  right  only  to  the  genuine  coin.  It  writes  the  word 
"  honor  "  on  an  act  that  by  a  correct  standard  would  be 
judged  dishonorable.  We  condemn  with  one  voice  the 
man  who  trifles  with  his  own  life  and  that  of  others  by 
sporting  on  the  edge  of  a  precipice  or  sailing  too  near 
the  thundering  cataract.  Wherein  does  it  differ  from 
this,  when  two  men  deliberately  place  each  other's  lives 
in,'  peril  by  firing  at  one  another?  Wherein  does  it 
differ  except  in  greater  wrong-doing  and  guilt?  And 
though  men  admire  and  extol  the  bravery  of  a  Hodgson, 
is  not  the  applause  of  good  men  mixed  with  blame  when 
there  is  evidence  of  undue  recklessness  of  life  in  the  brave 
act?  We  express  our  disapprobation  by  calling  it  fool- 
hardiness. 

To  no  such  useless,  aimless  sacrifice  did  Jesus  lend  the 
sanction  of  his  example.  How  careful  he  was  to  secure 
the  safety  of  His  disciples?  He  would  not  have  them 
unnecessarily  exposed  by  association  with  him.  He 
guards  against  any  mistake  by  assuring  them  that  he  was 
the  one  they  sought;  and  then  said — "If  therefore  ye 
seek  me,  let  these  go  their  way." 

III.  The  manliness  of  Christ  appeared  in  fearless  ac- 
tion for  what  was  worth  the  risk  —  yea,  in  view  of  his 
foreknowledge,  we  may  rather  say,  for  what  was  worth 
the  sacrifice.  He  knew  all  that  was  about  to  happen  and 
with  undaunted  face  came  forth  to  meet  his  assailants. 


246  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

We  might  see  a  reason  sufficient  for  his  conduct  in  his 
desire  to  spare  his  disciples.  Like  the  mother-bird  draw- 
ing attention  to  herself  in  order  to  protect  her  brood, 
he  took  the  brunt  of  the  attack  upon  himself  and  averted 
it  from  them.  But  there  was  a  further  reason  of  greater 
weight;  He  had  a  work  to  do  that  was  not  yet 
finished.  He  had  undertaken  to  redeem  the  world  from 
sin  and  he  could  not  do  this  but  by  paying  the  price 
of  his  own  blood.  He  was  commissioned  of  the  Father 
to  fulfil  the  law  and  satisfy  the  justice  of  God  and  was 
straitened  until  His  commission  was  fully  carried  out. 
And  now  His  hour  was  come.  The  time  was  at  hand 
when  he  should  be  offered  up,  and  with  all  that  was 
before  him  present  to  his  mind,  he  gave  himself  up  to  be 
taken,  arraigned,  condemned  and  crucified.  For  the  joy 
that  was  set  before  Him  —  the  joy  of  ransomed  souls, 
the  fruit  of  the  travail  of  his  own  soul  —  he  endured  the 
cross,  despising  the  shame. 

It  is  this  having  an  adequate  reason  for  the  risk  we  run 
that  raises  freedom  from  fear  into  the  region  of  true 
manliness.  If  for  the  sake  of  truth,  liberty  or  duty,  we 
surrender  life  itself,  we  do  well  and  nobly.  There  is  the 
true  ring  in  the  words  — 

I  dare  do  all  that  becomes  a  man: 
Who  dares  do  more  is  none. 

To  do  what  conscience  bids  us  do  is  always  manly. 
To  have  the  approval  of  our  own  hearts  and  the  approval 
of  God  who  is  greater  than  our  hearts  is  a  most  worthy 
aspiration.  And  though  we  may  not  be  called  to  posts 
of  peculiar  danger,  where  gallantry  may  be  conspicuous, 
we  may  each  of  us  act  bravely  in  our  own  sphere  of  labor 
and  influence.  As  another  has  truly  said  — "  The  every- 
day courage  of  doing  your  duty  is  the  grandest  courage  of 
all."  It  is  this  brave  fidelity  in  ordinary  life  that  pre- 
pares one  for  the  test  of  the  day  of  special  trial.     Men 


The  Manliness  of  Christ  247 

do  not  spring  suddenly  into  magnanimity  of  character. 
The  act  of  Jesus  in  this  scene  at  the  garden's  edge  was 
consistent  with  all  that  went  before.  So  it  is  by  doing 
as  we  pass  along  what  each  day  demands  of  us  that  we 
are  braced  for  the  emergency  that  strains  our  stability 
to  the  utmost.  It  was  life-long  fearlessness  in  behalf  of 
the  truth  that  gained  for  John  Knox,  when  he  died,  this 
encomium  from  his  antagonist  — "  There  lies  one  who 
never  feared  the  face  of  man." 

IV.  The  manliness  of  Christ  was  seen  in  his  patient, 
single-handed  endurance.  He  willingly  trod  the  wine- 
press alone.  He  knew  what  would  come  upon  him. 
He  saw  beforehand  the  mockery,  indignity,  humiliation  of 
the  trial,  the  pain  and  shame  of  the  cross,  the  deeper 
sorrow  of  the  Father's  desertion,  yet  he  calmly,  resolutely, 
went  forward  to  drink  the  cup  the  Father  mingled. 

There  was  no  sustaining  excitement  —  nothing  but 
quiet  acceptance  of  what  lay  before  him.  Often  the 
soldier  gets  a  degree  of  credit  for  what  is  done  in  a  spasm 
of  enthusiasm  that  is  out  of  all  proportion  to  the  actual 
courage  exercised.  The  Pennsylvania  Reserves  did  many 
valiant  things  before  that  gallant  charge  at  Round  Top 
that  turned  the  tide  of  battle  at  Gettysburg;  and  it  may 
be  that  greater  courage  was  shown  where  less  praise  was 
given.  There  is  a  support  from  companionship  in  arms, 
or  an  inspiration  from  the  situation  sometimes  that  con- 
tributes to  gallant  achievement.  But  when  one  stands 
alone  at  the  post  of  danger,  or  goes  unsupported  to  the 
place  of  death,  courage  is  put  to  a  harder  test.  The  pilot 
at  the  helm  of  the  burning  ship,  doing  all  in  his  power 
to  save  the  passengers  on  board  and  falling  headlong  at 
the  last;  the  French  physician  going  into  the  dissecting 
room  and  examining  and  recording  the  facts  concerning 
the  plague  for  the  benefit  of  mankind,  and  then  dying 
himself  as  its  victim  —  as  he  expected  to  do  —  teach  us 
the  nobility  of  self-sacrifice.  What  we  admire  in  them 
shines  most  conspicuously  in  the  life  and  death  of  the  Son 


248  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

of  Man.  "  He  loved  the  church  and  gave  himself  for 
it."  "  He  came  not  to  be  ministered  unto  but  to  minister 
and  to  give  his  life  a  ransom  for  many."  To  save  the 
lost,  he  assumed  their  place  and  died  in  their  stead.  To 
the  executioners  of  the  divine  law  he  says — "Let  these 
go  their  way,"  because  he  comes  to  pay  all  its  just  de- 
mands. To  all  this  he  went  forward  alone.  From  this 
point  onward,  of  the  people  there  was  none  with  him. 
He  dismissed  the  disciples  from  his  company  and  went 
unattended  to  his  trial  and  crucifixion.  Yet  he  never 
wavered.  He  steadily  pursued  his  path  and  work  till 
he  cried  — "  It  is  finished,"  and  gave  up  the  ghost. 

It  is  difficult  to  consider  the  manliness  of  Jesus,  shut- 
ting out  all  thoughts  of  his  divinity.  We  cannot  forget, 
in  looking  at  him  on  the  human  side,  that  he  is  God  as 
well  as  man  —  indeed  his  divinity  is  very  plainly  implied 
in  what  is  here  written  of  him.  Only  as  God  could 
he  foreknow  what  was  certain  to  come  to  pass.  We  need 
not  quote  passages  besides  this  one  to  prove  his  omnis- 
cience. This  same  evangelist  tells  us  (2:24) — "He 
needed  not  that  any  should  testify  of  man ;  for  he  knew 
what  was  in  man."  And  Peter  is  recorded  as  saying  to 
Jesus — "Thou  knowest  all  things;  thou  knowest  that 
I  love  thee." 

His  divinity  is  that  which  gives  value  to  his  work  and 
glory  to  his  purpose  of  redemption.  Had  he  been  only 
a  man,  his  purpose  would  have  failed;  but  he  achieved 
his  object  through  the  infinite  value  given  to  his  sacrifice 
by  his  divine  person.  Let  us  bless  his  name  that,  though 
he  "  thought  it  not  robbery  to  be  equal  with  God,"  he 
humbled  himself  and  became  obedient  unto  death,  and 
that  through  his  obedience  he  has  procured  salvation  for 
all  who  believe  in  his  name. 

But  while  we  never  forgot  the  height  from  which  he 
came  —  his  glory  as  the  only-begotten  of  the  Father  — 
we  do  well  to  contemplate  him  as  a  man  giving  us  a  model 


The  Manliness  of  Christ  249 

life  for  our  imitation.  It  is  likewise  through  his  human- 
ity that  he  reveals  the  glory  of  God  unto  men. 

Jesus  of  Nazareth  is  a  historical  character  and  it  is  the 
glory  of  Christianity  as  it  appears  in  history  that  its 
Founder  is  absolutely  spotless.  Let  his  character  be  sub- 
mitted to  whatever  tests,  it  never  fails;  it  only  shines 
the  brighter  under  thorough  investigation.  Does  it  stand 
the  test  of  manliness?  To  every  infidel  and  scoffer  we 
boldly  answer,  Yes!  In  prosperity  and  adversity,  in 
favor  and  disfavor,  in  triumph  and  defeat,  in  life  and 
death  he  always  did  as  a  man  ought  to  do.  In  this  single 
incident,  what  nobleness  appears!  what  openness  of 
character!  what  fearlessness!  what  thoughtfulness  of 
others!  what  dignity  of  action! 

Let  us  try  to  imitate  him  in  all  His  manly  traits.  Let 
us  seek  to  have  the  same  mind  in  us  which  was  also  in 
Christ  Jesus.  Let  us  listen  to  the  word  of  his  servant 
— "Watch  ye;  stand  fast  in  the  faith;  quit  you  like 
men;  be  strong." 

Be  strong! 
We  are  not  here  to  play,  to  dream,  to  drift. 
We  have  hard  work  to  do,  and  loads  to  lift. 
Shun  not  the  struggle;  face  it.     'Tis  God's  gift. 

Be  strong! 
Say  not  the  days  are  evil. —  Who's  to  blame  ? 
And  fold  the  hands  and  acquiesce  —  O  shame ! 
Stand  up,  speak  out,  and  bravely,  in  God's  name. 

Be  strong! 
It  matters  not  how  deep  intrenched  the  wrong, 
How  hard  the  battle  goes,  the  day,  how  long, 
Faint  not,  fight  on !     Tomorrow  comes  the  song. 

Do  I  forget  that  a  large  portion  of  the  class  is  of  the 


250  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

gentler  sex  ?  By  no  means.  Have  we  no  model  for  their 
imitation?  Yes,  surely.  Jesus  is  the  pattern  for  all 
humanity — for  the  woman  as  for  the  man.  The  traits 
of  character  I  have  mentioned  are  womanly  as  well  as 
manly.  It  was  a  woman  who  wrote  these  stirring  words 
(Charlotte  Bronte)  — 

No  coward  soul  is  mine, 

No  trembler  in  the  world's  storm-troubled  sphere 

I  see  heaven's  glories  shine, 
And  faith  shines  equal,  arming  me  from  fear. 

But  if  some  heroic  virtues  seem  more  befitting  to  man, 
there  are  other  virtues  that  are  as  admirable  that  find 
their  best  development  and  illustration  in  woman.  Both 
classes  of  virtues  find  their  perfection  in  Him  who  is  by 
way  of  eminence  the  Son  of  Man  —  the  son  of  humanity. 
He  represents  the  human  race  in  its  entirety  and  blends 
in  one  perfect  life  the  distinguishing  virtues  of  both  sexes. 
He  is  outspoken  yet  not  harsh,  tender  as  he  is  brave  and 
true,  considerate  yet  uncompromising  in  his  devotion  to 
truth  and  right,  weeping  with  those  who  weep  and  re- 
jocing  with  those  who  rejoice  and  yet  denouncing  sin 
in  high  places  and  low.  "  There  is  neither  Jew  nor 
Greek,  there  is  neither  bond  nor  free,  there  is  neither  male 
nor  female;  for  ye  are  all  one  in  Christ  Jesus."  "  There 
was  in  him,"  says  Robertson,  "  the  woman-heart  as  well 
as  the  manly  brain  —  all  that  was  most  manly  and  all 
that  was  most  womanly."  He  revealed  "  the  divineness 
of  what  is  pure  above  the  divineness  of  what  is  strong." 

Young  men  and  women  of  the  class  of  1904,  study  the 
unique  life  of  Jesus  in  order  to  the  improvement  of  your 
own.  Every  excellence  you  find  in  him  may  be  copied 
into  your  lives  and  add  to  their  completeness.  You  men 
can  shed  tears  with  him  and  show  no  feminine  weakness 
and  you  women  can  have  his  sublme  courage  and  not  be 
mannish  women.     Whatever  your  natural  idiosyncrasies 


The  Manliness  of  Christ  251 

of  character,  he  will  by  his  example  perfect  that  which 
concerneth  you. 

You  all  know  how  strenuously  I  have  urged  that  the 
Saviour  is  much  more  than  Exemplar,  that  he  is  first  of  all 
a  Redeemer  by  the  blood  of  the  cross.  I  do  not  abate  by 
one  jot  or  tittle  the  claim  that  the  very  essence  of  the 
Good  Tidings  is  the  proffer  of  salvation  through  the 
death  of  the  Saviour.  Yet  it  is  well  to  make  much  of  the 
life  of  Jesus  as  the  standard  of  living,  as  the  embodiment 
of  the  loftiest  ethics  the  world  has  ever  known.  Now 
especially  we  do  well  to  lay  to  heart  the  lessons  of  the 
text  and  context.  What  courageous  fidelity  to  the  trust 
committed  to  him  is  here  expressed  — "  Of  them  which 
thou  gavest  me  have  I  lost  none."  Nothing  was  lost 
that  was  consigned  to  his  care.  So  be  you  absolutely 
true  to  your  task  so  that  nothing  shall  be  lost  by  your 
negligence  or  insincerity.  What  self-sacrificing  devotion 
to  his  disciples!  "  If  ye  seek  me,  let  these  go  their  way." 
That  was  the  spirit  of  his  entire  life  —  the  very  purpose 
of  his  death.  "  If  ye  seek  me  let  these  go  their  way  " — 
let  me  suffer,  let  them  go  free.  He  is  still  the  everlast- 
ing, impenetrable  shield  of  his  disciples.  May  this  un- 
selfish spirit  be  yours  —  that  seeks  not  ease,  that  fears 
not  pain,  that  presses  not  for  advantage,  that  rejoices 
to  serve  even  the  unthankful  and  the  evil,  that  pours  down 
showers  of  blessing  on  the  just  and  on  the  unjust.  May 
it  grow  in  your  esteem  and  experience  as  the  years  flow 
on!  Be  like  Him!  Put  to  yourself  the  question  — 
How  would  Jesus  have  thought  and  felt  and  spoken  and 
done  in  the  place  where  I  am?  Let  it  be  your  set  pur- 
pose to  make  the  world  a  little  better  by  your  living. 

'Tis  not  for  man  to  trifle!     Life  is  brief 

And  sin  is  here. 
Our  age  is  but  the  falling  of  a  leaf, 

A  dropping  tear. 
We  have  no  time  to  sport  away  the  hours, 
All  must  be  earnest  in  a  world  like  ours. 


252  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

Not  many  lives  but  only  one  have  we, 

One,  only  one. 
How  sacred  should  that  one  life  ever  be, 

That  narrow  span ! 
Day  after  day  filled  up  with  blessed  toil, 
Hour  after  hour  still  bringing  in  new  spoil. 

New  spoil  every  hour!  But  from  whom?  Men  are 
eulogized  today  for  achievement  alone,  without  considera- 
tion of  its  nature  or  means,  forgetting  that  achievement 
alone  may  be  iniquitous  and  injurious.  Men  are  praised 
for  their  resourcefulness,  who  are  only  abundant  in 
schemes  of  wckedness,  forgetting  that  the  arch-fiend  is 
more  resourceful  than  any  of  his  minions.  Why  not 
praise  him?  If  spoil  be  taken  from  truth  and  right, 
is  it  cause  for  gratulation  ?  If  Christ's  cause  be  wounded, 
can  Christ's  followers  rejoice  in  the  triumph  that  strikes 
the  blow  ?  But  to  take  new  spoil  from  the  domain  of  sin 
in  your  own  life  or  in  the  life  of  the  world,  to  win  men 
away  from  the  enemy  of  souls,  to  contribute  to  human 
welfare,  to  glorify  God  —  these  are  the  only  real  and 
abiding  achievements  in  the  life  of  any  man  or  woman. 
I  have  no  greater  wish  for  each  and  all  of  you  than  that 
you  may  go  forth  like  Christ  —  trustfully,  hopefully, 
cheerily,  bravely  into  life  and  that  you  may  gain  in  your 
several  spheres  some  worthy  conquests  for  your  Master 
and  for  the  world,  following  Him  who  is  both  the  Divin- 
est  and  the  Manliest,  the  Son  of  God  and  the  incom- 
parable Man. 

"  This  book  of  the  law  shall  not  depart  out  of  thy 
mouth,  but  thou  shalt  meditate  therein  day  and  night 
that  thou  mayest  observe  to  do  all  that  is  written  therein ; 
for  then  shalt  thou  make  thy  way  prosperous  and  thou 
shalt  have  good  success.  ...  Be  strong  and  of  a  good 
courage;  be  not  afraid,  neither  be  thou  dismayed;  for  the 
Lord  thy  God  is  with  thee  whithersoever  thou  goest." 


SERMON  XX,  1905 

HIM    THAT   IS   TRUE 
"  We  are  in  him  that  is  true,  even  in  his  Son  Jesus  Christ." 

WE  cannot  read  the  letter  of  John,  without  feeling 
that  he  writes  out  of  a  deep  experience.  His 
theology  is  concrete,  entering  into  his  character  and  life. 
It  is  no  mere  abstraction  that  he  gives  us  but  a  testimony 
to  what  he  has  seen  and  felt  and  tasted  and  handled  of  the 
word  of  life.  He  looks  out  from  the  vantage  ground  of 
a  long  life  of  fellowship  with  the  Master  and  tells  us  what 
he  sees.  "  That  which  we  have  seen  and  heard  declare 
we  unto  you,  that  ye  may  also  have  fellowship  with  the 
Father  and  truly  our  fellowship  is  with  the  Father  and 
with  his  Son  Jesus  Christ."  When  he  speaks  of  the  Di- 
vine Saviour,  he  says:  "We  have  seen  and  do  testify 
that  the  Father  sent  the  Son  to  be  the  Saviour  of  the 
world."  And  when  his  thoughts  turn  to  the  love  of 
God,  he  connects  himself  with  it  in  faith  and  love  and 
says:  "  We  have  known  and  believed  the  love  that  God 
hath  to  us."  "  We  love  Him  because  He  first  loved  us." 
We  traverse  with  Him  no  cold  and  barren  field,  but  fields 
of  living  green.  We  look  out  on  no  bleak  and  wintry 
scene,  but  on  springing  blades  and  opening  buds  and 
ripening  grain  of  joyous  Christian  experience. 

It  is  with  no  uncertain  tottering  step  that  the  apostle 
John  advances  toward  the  threshold  of  eternity.  What 
a  ring  of  assurance  is  in  his  words!  How  much  there 
is  about  which  he  can  say  — "  We  know."  How  many 
things  he  encourages  the  disciples  to  look  for  in  the 
developing  Christian  consciousness.  "  We  know  that 
whosoever  is  born  of  God  sinneth  not.  .  .  .  We  know 

253 


254  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

that  we  are  of  God.  We  know  that  the  Son  of  God  is 
come  and  hath  given  us  an  understanding  that  we  may 
know  him  that  is  true;  and  we  are  in  him  that  is  true, 
even  in  his  Son  Jesus  Christ.  This  is  the  true  God  and 
eternal  life."  It  is  strange  that  words  of  the  straight- 
forward character  of  these  should  be  the  subject  of  con- 
troversy. And  yet  their  very  plainness  provokes  attack 
from  those  who  oppose  the  truth.  They  must  be  gotten 
out  of  the  way  or  the  truth  they  express  will  stand  in 
clear  and  certain  view.  John's  Gospel  is  so  pronounced 
in  its  assertion  of  the  Deity  of  our  Lord  that  its  testi- 
mony cannot  be  broken  except  by  challenging  the  witness 
and  denying  John's  authorship.  And  so  this  passage  from 
his  epistle,  that  is  in  such  harmony  with  his  Gospel  upon 
the  same  point,  has  been  assailed  by  those  who  refuse 
to  honor  the  Son  even  as  they  honor  the  Father.  We 
enter  not  into  the  controversy.  We  simply  ask  that  the 
passage  be  permitted  to  shine  in  its  own  light  — that  men 
read  it  and  let  it  speak  for  itself  —  and  we  are  sure  it  will 
appear,  without  any  twisting  of  the  meaning  or  any 
gloss  of  interpretation  that  our  Saviour  is  the  true  God 
and  eternal  life.  We  limit  our  consideration  to  these 
words. 

"  We  are  in  him  that  is  true,  even  in  his  Son  Jesus 
Christ"  and  find  in  them  these  two  themes: 

I.  The  Saviour's  characterization  as  Him  that  is  true. 

II.  The  Christian's  participation  in  his  life  and 
character. 

"  Him  that  is  true  " —  the  simpler  phrase  contains  a  dec- 
laration of  the  Saviour's  Deity.  In  its  fullness  of  mean- 
ing it  cannot  be  affirmed  of  any  mere  man.  The  very 
best  of  men  cannot  meet  the  requirements  of  God's  meas- 
uring line.  We  take  no  gloomy  view  of  our  fellowmen. 
We  would  not  indulge  or  arouse  suspicion  of  the  great 
and  good  men  with  whom  we  mingle.  We  trust  them 
without  stint  in  all  the  ways  of  life.  We  listen  with 
interest  and  confidence  and  act  upon  their  counsel.     And 


Him   That  Is  True  255 

yet  there  sometimes  flits  across  the  mind  a  minimizing 
thought  of  what  we  hear.  Concerning  even  the  best  of 
men  who  live  with  God,  men  whom  we  delight  in  and 
love,  we  harbor  questions.  Does  their  experience 
measure  up  to  their  announcements?  Does  their  knowl- 
edge extend  as  far  as  their  opinions?  Are  they  not  only 
sincere  but  absolutely  true,  true  as  the  forces  of  nature, 
true  as  the  needle  to  the  pole.  We  roundly  assert  our 
own  integrity  and  pride  ourselves  in  the  accuracy  of  our 
speech  and  the  sincerity  of  our  course  and  yet  we  do  not 
claim  perfection.  We  do  not  trust  ourselves  to  the  ut- 
most. We  would  be  ashamed  to  have  another  know  us 
altogether.  Whether  then  we  look  at  ourselves  or  others, 
we  cannot  escape  the  conclusion  that  there  are  limits  to 
humanity  and  that  God  only  is  true.  How  often  he  is 
spoken  of  as  the  true  God.  John  in  the  intercessory 
prayer  of  our  Lord  records  this  testimony. 

"  This  is  life  eternal  that  they  might  know  thee  the 
true  God."  Paul  writes  to  the  Thessalonians  as  those 
who  have  "  turned  from  idols  to  serve  the  living  and  true 
God."  And  John  declares  of  the  believer  in  Jesus  that 
he  has  set  his  "  seal  that  God  is  true."  God  is  true  as 
opposed  to  unreal  and  true  as  opposed  to  false,  true  to 
reality  and  true  to  his  word,  capable  of  fulfilling  the 
functions  of  Deity  and  incapable  of  any  slightest  varia- 
tion from  the  right  line  of  uprightness  and  truth.  Jesus 
speaks  of  him  exultingly  — "  He  that  sent  me  is  true." 

And  yet  the  very  same  phrase  is  here  and  elsewhere 
applied  to  Jesus.  "  We  are  in  him  that  is  true,  even  in 
his  Son  Jesus  Christ."  John,  the  Revelator,  thus  prefaces 
the  message  to  the  angel  of  the  church  in  Philadelphia 
(3-:  n).  These  things  saith  he  that  is  holy,  he  that  is 
true."  And  in  the  vision  which  he  records  in  the  9th 
chapter  concerning  the  great  world-war,  the  great  Com- 
mander, of  whom  it  is  written  — "  His  name  is  called  the 
Word  of  God,"  and  "  His  vesture  was  dipped  in  blood," 
is  described  in  these  words  — "  I  saw  heaven  opened  and 


256  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

behold  a  white  horse;  and  he  that  sat  sat  upon  him  was 
called  Faithful  and  true  and  in  righteousness  he  doth 
judge  and  make  war." 

It  is  the  Captain  of  our  salvation  who  is  thus  charac- 
terized. He  is  one  with  the  Father,  having  the  same  sub- 
stance and  essential  attributes.  He  was  and  is  to  come 
the  True  One  —  who  is  the  eternal  Son  of  God  and  very 
God  and  fitly  described  as  "  Him  that  is  true." 

Every  word  that  he  has  spoken  may  be  relied  on  to 
the  utmost.  Is  it  a  word  of  threatening?  Be  assured  it 
is  no  idle  threat,  no  empty  bravado  such  as  foolish  men 
sometimes  indulge  in.  If  he  says — "He  that  believeth 
not  the  Son  shall  not  see  life;  but  the  wrath  of  God  abid- 
eth  on  him,"  the  dread  alternative  will  come  to  pass.  It 
must  be  so  or  else  his  word  of  promise  will  be  weakened 
by  the  same  process  that  weakens  his  word  of  menace. 
But  no,  his  word  is  true  and  whatever  be  the  nature  of 
the  message,  it  will  stand  forever.  Does  he  say  — "  I  will 
give  you  rest  "  .  .  .  "  Peace  I  leave  with  you,  my  peace 
give  I  unto  you." —  Lo,  I  am  with  you  alway  even  to  the 
end  of  the  world." — "  In  my  Father's  house  are  many 
mansions;  if  it  were  not  so  I  would  have  told  you;  I 
go  to  prepare  a  place  for  you."  Does  he  say  these  things? 
Then  doubt  not,  for  not  one  jot  or  tittle  of  all  that  he  has 
spoken  shall  fail.  They  will  all  be  fulfilled  because  they 
are  the  words  of  Him  that  is  true,  of  the  faithful  and 
true  Witness. 

What  an  invaluable  friend  he  is!  He  has  spoken,  but 
that  is  not  all.  He  lives  —  lives  today  and  ever  lives  to 
befriend  those  who  trust  him. 

You  have  had  maybe  one  friend  that  was  another 
self  to  you,  that  was  better  and  truer  to  you  than  you 
could  have  been  to  yourself.  Mountains  and  seas  may 
have  divided  you,  fellowship  may  have  been  broken  by 
long  separation,  diverse  aims  and  pursuits  and  relations 
may  have  exerted  a  divisive  influence,  yet  confidence  was 
undiminished  and  fellowship  was  eagerly  resumed  as  soon 


Him   That  Is   True  257 

as  you  came  together.  What  was  the  secret  of  it  ?  Why 
did  you  confide  in  another  so  serenely?  Because  you 
knew  him  to  be  true,  often  tried  and  always  true. 

You  have  had  other  friends  maybe  and  have  learned 
their  limitations.  Their  limitations  are  in  their  very  na- 
ture. They  are  not  true  to  you  to  the  utmost  because 
they  cannot  be.  The  work  of  the  world  would  scarcely 
go  on  if  we  would  at  once  break  with  everyone  who  has 
failed  us  at  some  point.  We  take  men  and  women  as 
they  are  and  go  on  with  our  associated  endeavors  count- 
ing them  to  be  friends,  who  within  their  own  limitations 
are  friendly  and  true. 

Yet  we  feel  the  need  of  some  one  better  and  truer 
than  they  —  a  friend  that  sticketh  closer  than  a  brother. 
Very  rarely  we  find  one  among  our  fellows  who  rises 
superior  in  our  estimation  to  the  mass  of  men.  But  we 
find  such  a  friend  pre-eminently  in  the  covenant-keeping 
Redeemer  and  rejoice  in  him  with  an  unspeakable  joy. 
Judas  may  betray  and  Peter  may  deny  and  even  John 
may  forsake,  but  Jesus  is — "  He  that  is  true.  We  lean 
on  Him  with  unshaken  confidence.  We  fly  from  the 
false  many  to  the  faithful  One,  who  is  the  same,  yester- 
day and  today  and  forever. 

But  what  of  Jesus  as  a  man?  As  a  man  he  must  be 
true.  There  can  be  no  schism  in  the  person  of  the  God- 
man.  His  human  nature  was  real  yet  sinless.  It  must 
be  so  else  the  union  with  his  divine  person  would  be 
most  unseemly.  Such  incongruity  between  holy  God  and 
sinful  humanity  would  be  monstrous.  But  the  supposi- 
tion is  vain ;  no  semblance  of  inconsistency  appears.  The 
impression  he  made  on  his  own  generation  and  on  the 
generations  since  then  is  that  he  was  a  perfect  man.  In 
the  face  of  this  general  verdict  of  the  ages  it  would  take 
some  hardihood  to  pick  flaws  in  the  character  of  the  man 
Christ  Jesus.  Even  those  who  stumble  at  his  divinity, 
will  not  deny  or  impugn  his  veracity  or  fidelity  or  purity 
as  a  man. 


258  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

What  did  his  contemporaries  say  of  him?  I  think 
the  Herodians,  however  insincere  themselves,  uttered  the 
prevailing  sentiment  and  the  real  truth  when  they  said  — 
"  We  know  that  Thou  art  true  and  speakest  the  words  of 
truth  and  carest  not  for  any  man." 

What  did  they  say  who  were  close  to  him?  The  con- 
fidence of  Mary,  his  mother,  is  shown  by  her  command 
to  the  servants  at  the  marriage  of  Cana  — "  Whatsoever 
he  saith  unto  you,  do  it."  Judas  charged  himself  with 
the  betrayal  of  innocence.  It  is  as  if  he  said  in  the  words 
of  the  prophet  Isaiah  — "  He  did  no  violence,  neither  was 
any  deceit  in  his  mouth."  John  the  Baptist  instinctively 
shrank  from  the  baptism  of  Jesus,  and  said  — "  The 
latchet  of  his  shoes  I  am  not  worthy  to  unlcose."  Peter 
looking  back  over  the  years  of  intimacy  with  his  Master, 
wrote  in  his  first  letter  — "  He  did  no  sin,  neither  was 
guile  found  in  his  mouth."  No  insincere  praise,  no 
words  of  double  meaning  intended  to  mislead,  no  exag- 
gerated statements,  no  suppression  of  a  part  of  the  truth, 
no  falsehoods  however  petty  or  harmless  or  conventional, 
ever  escaped  from  his  lips.  To  all  who  accept  the  New 
Testament  record,  it  is  simply  unthinkable  that  Jesus 
should  have  prevaricated  or  broken  faith  or  deceived, 
that  anything  crooked  or  tortuous  should  have  marred 
his  straightforward,  unspotted  course.  His  very  silences 
were  true.  Carlyle  said  — "  It  seems  to  me  the  finest 
nations  of  the  world  —  the  English  and  American  —  are 
going  all  away  into  wind  and  tongue.  Silence  is  the 
eternal  duty  of  a  man."  Jesus  knew  how  and  when  to 
be  silent.  He  sometimes  hungered  to  be  alone  and  with- 
drew from  the  crowd.  He  sometimes  kept  silent  when 
speech  was  expected.  He  was  too  true  to  be  casting 
pearls  before  swine.  He  would  not  speak  to  gratify  the 
whim  of  the  flippant,  cunning  Herod,  nor  to  assist  Pilate 
in  finding  a  loophole  of  escape  from  his  self-wrought 
entanglement.  More  than  one  evangelist  records  that 
the  governor  marvelled  greatly  and  no  wonder.     Jesus' 


Him  That  Is  True  259 

self-poise,  his  refusal  to  waste  words  on  a  conscience- 
less court,  his  calm  silence  was  a  rebuke  to  Pilate's  in- 
sincerity and  a  wonder  to  his  worldly  mind. 

There  is  yet  another  test  we  may  apply  to  Jesus  — • 
the  test  of  his  own  consciousness.  And  certainly  there 
is  no  failure  at  this  point.  He  knew  that  he  was  true. 
His  whole  course  implies  this.  How  outspoken  he  is 
in  regard  to  the  claims  of  truth !  How  he  insists  on  the 
inner  virtues  of  the  heart!  How  his  indignation 
thunders  against  the  hypocrites!  How  often  he  appeals 
to  the  present  scrutiny  of  the  Heart-searcher!  How 
often  to  the  future  revelation  of  the  secrets  of  men  in  the 
great  day!  He  could  not  do  all  these  things  without 
coming  face  to  face  with  reality.  Either  he  was  con- 
scious of  his  own  integrity,  or  with  reverence  be  it  spoken 
he  was  an  imposter  and  hypocrite.  Who  can  hesitate  in 
the  presence  of  such  an  alternative.  The  thought  of 
hypocrisy  is  blasphemous  and  beyond  the  belief  of  the  most 
superficial  student  of  the  life  of  Christ.  He  knew  that 
he  was  true.  He  made  no  confession  of  sin.  He 
challenged  his  traducers  —  Which  of  you  convinceth  me 
of  sin?  He  swerved  not  once  nor  in  the  least  particular 
from  the  path  of  perfect  truth  and  uprightness. 

I  have  read  recently  that  the  most  accurate  clock  in 
the  world  is  in  the  basement  of  the  Berlin  observatory. 
It  has  been  running  since  1865  and  often  for  three  months 
at  a  time  with  a  daily  deviation  of  not  more  than  fifteen- 
thousandths  of  a  second.  But  this  is  not  accurate  enough 
to  suit  astronomers  and  so  it  is  put  in  an  air-tight  under- 
ground room  so  as  to  reduce  the  variation  to  its  lowest 
point.  Such  an  accurate  measuring  instrument  is  Jesus 
in  the  sky  of  the  human  soul  —  nay,  even  such  accuracy 
does  not  approach  that  of  Jesus.  He  varies  not  the  least 
from  the  moral  standard  of  the  universe.  Whoever 
regulates  his  life  by  the  example  of  Jesus  will  make  no 
wrong  calculations  and  take  no  wrong  steps.  My  young 
friends,   keep  your  eye  of  contemplation  and   faith  and 


260  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

love  —  on  this  perfect  moral  and  spiritual  regulator  — 
on  Him  that  is  true  and  you  will  be  true  yourself. 

Let  us  consider  the  second  place. 

II.  The  Christian's  participation  in  the  life  and  char- 
acter of  Christ,  "  We  are  in  Him  that  is  true,  even  in  his 
Son  Jesus  Christ." 

"  In  Christo  "  has  been  called  the  monogram  of  St. 
Paul,  so  frequently  does  it  appear  in  his  epistles.  Thirty- 
three  times  the  very  phrase  occurs  and  many  times  more 
its  equivalents.  It  shows  how  much  the  life  of  believers 
lies  in  union  with  Christ.  They  are  as  close  to  Him  as 
the  members  of  the  body  to  the  head,  as  close  as  the 
thinking  brain  to  the  movement  of  my  hand  in  gesture 
or  my  lips  in  speech.  They  are  as  close  to  him  as  the 
living  branch  to  the  living  vine,  whose  continuous  out- 
flow of  nourishment  gives  support  and  vigor  to  the 
branch.  Separation  from  Jesus  means  arrest  of  Christian 
life  altogether.  Jesus  in  his  discourse  to  his  disciples 
says:  "Severed  from  me  ye  can  do  nothing."  The 
early  Christians  understood  this  and  traced  every  good 
thing  they  experienced  to  this  source.  In  the  Roman 
catacombs,  the  frequent  inscription  on  the  tombs,  rudely 
written  yet  with  sufficient  clearness,  is  "  in  Christo,"  with 
various  accompaniments  such  as  these  — "  In  peace  and 
in  Christ  —  Accepted  in  Christ  —  Hope  in  Christ  —  A 
lovable  and  holy  person  in  Christ  —  Sleeps  in  Christ." 

This  reveals  what  was  and  is  the  keynote  of  Christian- 
ity. This  is  what  it  is  to  be  a  Christian.  Primarily  and 
chiefly  and  forever  it  is  to  be  in  Christ  Jesus.  What- 
ever other  notes  we  sound  let  them  be  held  in  harmony 
with  this  keynote.  It  must  not  be  smothered  by  forms, 
nor  lost  amid  pledges  and  promises,  nor  dissipated  amid 
the  endless  branches  of  a  complete  organization.  Over 
all  these  and  through  all  these  let  it  ring  out  clear  and 
strong,  for  out  of  fellowship  with  the  living  Christ  come 
all  things  good  and  great  in  Christian  life. 


Him   That  Is  True  261 

'Tis  life,  whereof  our  nerves  are  scant 
O  Life,  not  Death  for  which  we  pant, 
More  life  and  fuller  is  what  we  want. 

Our  Saviour  is  not  only  an  example  —  a  revealer  of 
what  is  highest  in  human  character,  but  a  character  — 
making  power  in  the  human  soul.  Oneness  with  him 
means  participation  in  his  virtues.  The  writer  to  the 
Hebrew  Christians  says  — "  We  are  made  partakers  of 
Christ  Jesus."  There  is  a  spiritual  continuity  between 
him  and  us,  so  that  his  very  nature  flows  into  us.  "  I 
live,"  says  St.  Paul,  yet  not  I  but  Christ  liveth  in  me  and 
the  life  which  I  now  live  in  the  flesh  I  live  by  the  faith  of 
the  Son  of  God  who  loved  me  and  gave  himself  for  me." 

How  may  I  maintain  this  spiritual  continuity  so  that 
his  life  may  become  mine?  By  believing  in  him,  by  exer- 
cising my  faith  upon  him  with  ever  fresh  vigor.  We  may 
not  be  able  to  eliminate  wholly  the  mystical  element 
from  the  spiritual  commerce  between  Christ  and  us.  Yet 
the  means  of  it  are  clear  and  the  results  of  it  are  of 
supreme  practical  importance.  The  whole  power  of  the 
Christian  life  lies  here  and  we  grow  in  holiness  as  we 
increase  in  intimacy  with  our  Lord. 

Perhaps  we  may  be  helped  to  a  better  understanding 
of  the  power  of  Christ  in  us  by  considering  the  influence 
of  a  merely  human  fellowship.  How  is  it  that  associa- 
tion leads  to  assimilation?  Why  is  companionship  such 
a  tremendous  force  in  shaping  character?  Solomon  says 
it  in  the  strongest  way  and  the  widest  observation  will 
confirm  his  words — "  He  that  walketh  with  wise  men 
shall  be  wise;  but  the  companion  of  fools  shall  be  de- 
stroyed." Whether  we  understand  it  or  not  we  know 
the  fact  and  make  it  the  plea  for  elevating  friendships. 
If  we  make  a  companion  of  Jesus,  if  we  find  delight  in 
study  of  his  life  and  sayings,  if  we  trust  and  love  him  as 
our  own  Matchless  Friend,  if  we  keep  in  close  touch  with 


262  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

him  and  meet  him  as  often  as  we  may  in  the  places  he  has 
appointed,  by  this  natural  law  we  cannot  help  becoming 
like  him.  "  But  we  all  beholding  as  in  a  mirror,  the 
glory  of  the  Lord;  are  transformed  into  the  same  im- 
age from  glory  to  glory;  even  as  from  the  Lord  the 
Spirit."  The  very  perfection  of  the  heavenly  life  will  be 
attained  in  this  way  according  to  the  word  of  John  — 
"  We  shall  be  like  Him  for  we  shall  see  Him  as  He  is." 
Dr.  Deems,  long  pastor  of  "  The  Church  of  the 
Strangers,"  in  New  York,  wrote  to  his  friend  when  he 
was  past  his  seventy  years  in  this  glowing  way — "To 
my  increasing  love  for  the  personality  of  Jesus  Christ  I 
attribute  all  that  is  sweet  and  good  in  the  present  condi- 
tion of  my  life.  Increasingly  he  seems  to  become  the 
rarest,  finest  gentleman  I  have  ever  known;  the  noblest, 
truest,  most  satisfying  Friend  I  have  ever  had;  and  so 
grand  a  conqueror  of  all  worlds  that  I  am  ready  to  stay 
with  him  in  any  world  or  go  with  him  to  any  world." 
Who  can  estimate  the  transforming  efficacy  of  such  a 
fellowship  ? 

This  assimilating  process  will  advance  most  in  regard 
to  those  virtues  on  which  we  dwell  much  in  our  thoughts. 
This  afternoon  we  have  meditated  on  a  trait  of  Jesus' 
character  that  is  central  and  pervasive  and  that  ought 
to  be  central  and  pervasive  in  our  lives.  We  are  in  Him 
that  is  true.  I  wish  we  might  get  so  near  to  the  heart 
of  our  Redeemer  in  this  direction  that  we  would  get  the 
rhythm  of  it  in  our  hearts  —  ours  beating  in  unison  with 
his.  I  verily  believe  that  there  is  nothing  that  so  seri- 
ously vitiates  a  character  as  falsehood  and  that  no  virtue 
is  so  far-reaching  and  profound  in  its  influence  as  sin- 
cerity. The  man  who  lies  has  a  worm  at  the  root  of 
every  virtue  he  seems  to  possess  and  there  is  always 
ground  of  hope  of  him  who  scorns  a  lie.  Even  one  clear- 
cut  departure  from  the  King's  highway  of  truth  often 
cuts  a  sluice  in  the  character  out  of  which  may  flow  every 
good  thing.     How  often  the  element  of  pretense  spoils 


Him  That  Is  True  265 

the  grain  of  the  wood  in  a  character  otherwise  exemplary! 
How  often  a  single  false  step  starts  one  on  a  career  of 
mendacity  and  trickery,  partizanship  and  sham. 

You  have  read  George  Eliot's  "  Romola,"  in  which 
Tito  is  an  important  character.  He  is  an  attractive, 
brilliant  young  man,  making  many  friends.  Then  comes 
a  moment  when  he  must  make  a  choice  between  selfish 
ease  and  self-sacrifice.  We  see  him  entering  into  serious 
colloquy  with  himself.  Shall  he  expend  the  price  of 
gems  on  himself  or  for  the  ransom  of  one  to  whom  he 
owed  all  that  he  had  become?  It  was  no  very  decisive 
thing  that  he  did  and  there  were  very  good  and  plausible 
reasons  for  the  doing  of  it.  Yet  it  was  the  beginning  of 
falseness  at  the  core  of  his  being.  He  began  by  juggling 
with  his  own  mind,  yielding  to  the  "  impulse  to  conceal 
half  the  fact "  from  himself  as  well  as  from  others.  And 
then  in  the  expressive  phrase  of  the  reviewer  his  "  talent 
for  concealment "  fast  developed  into  something  less 
neutral  and  then  as  a  "  virulent  acid  appeared  eating  its 
rapid  way  through  all  the  tissues  of  sentiment " —  of 
gratitude,  of  honor,  even  of  humanity.  As  one  has  well 
said  —  the  moral  of  the  story  of  Tito  lies,  not  in  the  vivid 
story  of  his  outward  fortunes,  or  in  the  poetic  justice 
and  the  tragic  suddenness  of  his  death,  but  in  the  un- 
folding step  by  step  of  the  deterioration  of  a  brilliant  and 
gifted  nature  through  the  preference  of  what  is  pleasant 
to  what  is  right."  First  the  shutting  of  the  eye  on  half 
the  fact,  then  a  growing  facility  in  concealment,  than  an 
all-devouring  acid  of  selfishness  and  at  last  complete  moral 
ruin.     May  it  not  be  the  record  of  the  life  of  any  one  of 


you 


I  commend  to  you  the  fellowship  of  Him  that  is  true 
as  a  sufficient  shield  against  such  a  course  and  such  a 
fate.  As  one  has  said  — "  His  very  company  kills  insin- 
cerity." That  which  is  true  in  Him  reinforces  what  so- 
ever things  are  true  in  us.  "  He  that  abideth  in  me  and 
I  in  him,  the  same  bringeth  forth  much  fruit." 


264  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

We  are  gathering  about  the  broken  body  of  our  Lord. 
We  are  about  to  enter  into  communion  with  Him  at  His 
table.  It  seems  fitting  that  he  should  be  the  theme  of 
our  thought  at  the  very  threshold  of  our  privilege. 

What  is  Jesus  to  you?  I  trust  he  has  already  won 
your  heart  in  faith  and  love.  Is  he  your  Beloved;  have 
you  already  seen  the  glory  of  God  in  the  face  of  Jesus 
Christ  ?  I  wish  that  every  one  of  you  might  catch  the  ex- 
pression of  his  face  that  is  contained  in  our  text  and 
carry  it  with  you  to  the  end  of  your  days. 

I  can  appreciate  the  feelings  of  the  Italian  painter 
who  was  making  a  picture  of  the  Last  Supper.  One 
by  one  he  painted  the  Apostles,  giving  expression  to  his 
own  conception  of  their  respective  characters.  Then  he 
began  to  study  the  character  of  the  Saviour,  taking  up 
his  attributes  in  detail,  spurring  his  imagination  to  the 
great  task  of  duly  setting  him  forth.  At  last  he  threw 
down  his  pencil  in  despair  and  exclaimed  — "  The  face  of 
Jesus  cannot  be  painted."     I  do  not  wonder  at  his  despair. 

I  have  never  taken  much  interest  in  a  composite  por- 
trait in  which  the  artist  has  combined  the  faces  of  a 
given  collection  of  men  in  one.  It  looks  characterless  as 
compared  with  the  distinctive  character  of  each  of  the 
faces  lost  in  the  combination.  So  it  seems  to  me  it  is  not 
possible  to  bring  out  the  whole  character  of  Christ  in  a 
single  face.  He  is  so  many-sided,  pre-eminent  in  so  many 
things  that  the  attempt  to  produce  them  all  in  one  is  hope- 
less if  we  would  give  adequate  expression  to  any.  This 
afternoon  we  have  sought  to  hold  your  gaze  on  a  single 
feature  of  that  face,  a  single  ray  from  that  gleaming 
character.  If  the  artist  were  painting  a  portrait  of  Jesus 
as  suggested  by  our  text  he  would  present  a  countenance 
full  of  strength,  frank,  thoughtful,  earnest,  honest  as  the 
day,  transparent  as  the  crystal.  Let  me  urge  you  to 
carry  this  mental  picture  somewhere  near  your  heart. 
Think  of  Him  henceforth  as  the  One  that  is  True  and 
strive  to  be  like  him.     What  the  home  needs,  what  society 


Him  That  Is  True  265 

needs,  what  the  church  needs,  what  the  country  needs, 
is  men  and  women  that  are  true  —  true  to  God,  true  to 
themselves  and  true  to  one  another. 

Trueness  is  the  richest  charm  of  woman.  Trueness  is 
the  noblest  crown  of  man.  May  it  adorn  every  one  of 
you  in  all  the  relations  of  life.  Be  what  you  would  seem 
to  be.  Clarify  your  vision,  simplify  your  needs,  shun  hol- 
lowness  and  vanity,  be  true,  be  true.  For  we  are  in 
Him  that  is  true  even  in  His  Son  Jesus  Christ. 


SERMON  XXI,  1906 

RECRUITS   FOR   THE   ARMY   OF   THE    LORD 

Thy  people  offer  themselves  willingly  in  the  day  of  thy  power 
in  holy  array:  out  of  the  womb  of  the  morning  thou  hast  the 
dew  of  thy  youth. —  Ps.  Ho. 

THIS  psalm  is  clearly  Messianic.  Perowne  says  — 
"  It  is  more  frequently  cited  by  the  New  Testament 
writers  than  any  other  single  portion  of  the  ancient 
scriptures."  And  the  citations  always  have  a  clear  ap- 
plication to  Jesus  as  the  Messiah.  When  the  Pharisees 
and  Sadducees  buried  their  differences  for  the  time  and 
joined  hands  in  an  assault  upon  Jesus,  the  last  word  with 
which  he  crushed  them  into  silence  was  taken  from  this 
psalm.  Read  the  swift  record  of  it  as  given  by  Matthew 
(22:42-46)  — "What  think  ye  of  the  Christ?  Whose 
son  is  he?  They  say  unto  him,  The  Son  of  David.  He 
saith  unto  them,  How  then  doth  David  in  spirit  call 
him  Lord,  saying  —  The  Lord  said  to  my  Lord,  sit  thou 
on  my  right  hand  till  I  make  thine  enemies  thy  footstool. 
If  David  then  call  him  Lord,  how  is  he  his  son?  And 
no  man  was  able  to  answer  him  a  word,  neither  durst 
any  man  from  that  day  forth  ask  him  any  more  ques- 
tions." And  Peter  in  his  discourse  on  the  day  of  Pente- 
cost nails  with  this  scripture  his  argument  for  the 
Messiahship  of  Jesus  — "  For  David  is  not  ascended  into 
the  heavens;  but  he  saith  himself,  The  Lord  said  unto 
my  Lord,  Sit  thou  on  my  right  hand  until  I  make  thy 
foes  thy  footstool.  Therefore  let  all  the  house  of  Israel 
know  assuredly  that  God  hath  made  that  same  Jesus 
whom  ye  have  crucified  both  Lord  and  Christ."  So,  too, 
the  author  of  the  letter  to  the  Hebrews  quotes  this  psalm 

266 


Recruits  for  the  Army  of  the  Lord  267 

no  less  than  five  times  in  the  course  of  his  comparison  of 
Christianity  and  Judaism.  If  Peter  and  Paul  and  other 
New  Testament  writers  and  likewise  our  Lord  himself 
appeal  to  this  psalm  as  authoritative  and  ascribe  it  to 
David  as  its  inspired  author,  surely  we  do  well  to  study 
its  meaning  and  accept  the  lessons  and  promptings  it  gives. 

Christ  is  the  theme  of  this  psalm  —  Christ  the  exalted, 
reigning  King,  "  who  being  the  brightness  of  God's  glory, 
and  the  express  image  of  his  person  and  upholding  all 
things  by  the  word  of  his  power  when  he  had  by  him- 
self purged  our  sins,  sat  down  on  the  right  hand  of  the 
Majesty  on  high."  His  royal  right  is  disputed  by  wicked 
men  and  devils  and  he  wages  righteous  war  to  establish 
his  claim.  Around  his  standard  rally  heroic  souls  in 
every  time  and  clime,  won  from  the  ranks  of  his  enemies 
by  the  winning,  melting,  subduing  power  of  his  grace. 
They  wage  war  along  with  Him  against  sin  and  Satan. 
They  submit  themselves  to  Him  and  join  with  Him  to 
make  conquest  of  the  world,  to  take  possession  of  thrones 
and  principalities  and  powers,  institutions  and  customs 
and  laws.  They  are  reconstructing  society  on  Christian 
lines  and  seeking  to  break  the  yoke  from  the  neck  of 
every  slave  of  vice  and  misrule,  of  superstition  and  dark- 
ness, of  evil  inclination  and  habit  and  prejudice. 

Already  has  the  rod  of  his  strength  gone  forth  out  of 
Zion.  When  the  day  of  Pentecost  was  fully  come  his 
saving  power  was  manifested  in  the  conversion  of  multi- 
tudes in  a  day.  It  began  in  Jerusalem  but  did  not 
end  there.  It  began  in  Jerusalem  and  went  forth 
into  all  the  world  to  reclaim  it.  The  marching  orders 
of  the  King  had  in  view  the  dethronement  of  that  old 
usurper  —  the  prince  of  this  world  —  in  all  places  of  his 
dominion. 

And  so  the  scepter  of  his  power  stretched  out  over 
Asia  Minor  and  Greece  and  Rome  under  the  leadership 
of  the  Apostle  Paul.  It  renewed  its  sway  over  the  lands 
of  Europe  under  Luther  and  Melancthon  and  Calvin  and 


268  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

Beza  and  Knox.  It  touched  the  dry  bones  of  Israel  in 
the  days  of  Wesley  and  Whitfield  and  a  great  host  of 
valiant  defenders  of  the  faith  sprang  into  life.  It  has 
kept  alive  and  vigorous  the  spirit  of  godliness  in  in- 
dividual souls  and  homes  and  congregations  and  countries, 
reviving  the  saints  of  God  and  subduing  sinners  under 
his  yoke.  It  is  extending  its  rule  into  the  islands  of  the 
sea  and  into  the  great  unevangelized  continents  of  Asia 
and  Africa  today. 

Will  the  conquest  ever  be  complete?  Will  the  army 
of  the  King  be  furnished  with  recruits  for  such  a  world 
campaign?  —  world-wide  and  world  deep,  deep  as  its  sin 
and  wide  as  its  domain?  Will  there  be  enlistments  to 
meet  the  requirements  of  the  service?  Will  they  have 
the  spirit,  the  consecration  and  courage  to  take  up  the 
conflict  where  they  are  or  to  go  where  they  are  sent? 
The  answer  to  all  such  inquiries  may  be  heard  in  our 
text  — "  Thy  people  offer  themselves  willingly  in  the  day 
of  thy  power  in  holy  array;  out  of  the  womb  of  the 
morning  thou  hast  the  dew  of  thy  youth." 

I.  The  soldiers  of  the  army  of  the  Lord  are  mustered 
in  and  endued  for  service  in  the  day  of  Christ's  power. 
They  are  enlisted  through  the  agency  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 
We  refer  not  now  chiefly  to  conversion,  though  that 
prime  experience  is  certainly  due  to  the  power  of  the 
quickening  life-giving  Spirit.  It  may  likewise  be  said  that 
the  germ  of  all  subsequent  consecration  to  the  service 
of  God  is  contained  in  the  genuine  conversion  of  the  soul 
to  God.  And  yet  there  are  those  who  in  the  judgment 
of  charity  are  converted,  who  are  not  warriors  for  the 
Lord.  It  would  seem  like  irony  to  call  them  soldiers  of 
the  cross.  They  undergo  no  discipline,  they  endure  no 
hardship,  they  undertake  no  duty.  They  are  at  ease  in 
Zion,  they  stand  for  no  principle  of  righteousness,  they 
are  not  known  as  defenders  of  the  faith  or  supporters 
of  the  cause  of  Christ,  they  are  not  enlisted  to  be  first, 
last  and  all  the  time  on  the  side  of  their  Master.     Yet 


Recruits  for  the  Army  of  the  Lord  269 

their  names  are  on  the  roster  of  the  Lord's  host  and  they 
are  encamped  with  his  followers. 

When  the  army  of  the  Lord  is  mobilized  for  service 
the  people  of  God  are  not  only  enlisted  but  empowered. 
The  Apostles,  though  for  three  years  they  were  under 
the  coaching  and  instruction  of  the  Lord  himself  were 
commanded  to  tarry  in  Jerusalem  for  the  gift  of  the  Holy 
Spirit.  They  had  preparation  but  they  still  lacked  power 
and,  therefore,  the  Master  said  to  them  — "  Ye  shall  re- 
ceive power  after  that  the  Holy  Ghost  is  come  upon  you." 

Power  appears  in  very  various  ways.  It  may  roar  like 
a  lion,  or  it  may  come  upon  us  as  silently  as  a  sunbeam. 
It  may  shake  the  earth's  surface  as  if  it  were  a  jelly  and 
not  a  solid  crust,  casting  down  lofty  structures  and  towers 
and  domes  of  human  achievement  in  one  indiscriminate, 
valueless  mass,  or  it  may  lift  a  great  weight  of  rock  by 
the  invisible  enginery  of  the  frost.  So  is  the  Spirit's 
power  variously  manifested.  It  may  be  in  "  the  mighty 
rushing  wind  "  or  in  the  "  still,  small  voice."  It  may 
appear  in  the  crowded  assembly  where  Torrey  speaks  and 
Alexander  sings,  or  it  may  be  in  the  hand-picking  ministry 
of  the  house  to  house  visitor,  or  in  the  quiet  life  of  a 
godly  mother.  It  may  happen  that  a  single  bed-ridden 
saint  has  more  real  power  than  goes  forth  from  a  skill- 
fully managed  convention.  Some  of  you  will  remember 
the  story  told  by  Mr.  S.  D.  Gordon  in  the  quiet  talks 
he  gave  us  some  years  ago,  the  story  of  a  confirmed  in- 
valid in  London,  who  for  two  years  had  been  praying 
for  a  revival  in  the  cold,  dead,  church  to  which  she  be- 
longed. One  day  her  sister  went  home  from  Church  and 
told  her  a  man  from  America  by  the  name  of  Moody 
preached  that  morning.  She  simply  answered  — "  Our 
church  is  going  to  be  revived ;  for  two  years  I  have  been 
praying  for  the  coming  of  that  man."  The  revival  came 
and  the  place  of  power  was  in  that  sick  woman's  chamber, 
all  unknown  to  the  world. 

Let  us  not  think  that  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost 


270  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

is  for  the  revivalist  alone,  for  the  great  meeting  only, 
for  the  ministry  and  the  missionary.  Surely  it  is  for  these. 
But  not  less  surely  is  it  for  every  Christian  in  every  place, 
in  every  good  calling,  in  every  set  of  circumstances,  with 
every  kind  of  gift.  Let  us  every  one  be  ambitious  for 
power,  power  to  do  good  in  the  world,  power  to  glorify 
Christ  with  whatever  gifts  we  have. 

Neither  let  us  think  of  the  day  of  power  as  some  day 
of  great  things  in  the  Church's  life,  some  splendid  day 
of  the  Spirit's  power  when  a  mighty  electric  thrill  ran 
through  a  vast  audience  and  stirred  it  to  enthusiasm  and 
action.  The  day  of  his  power  may  be  for  a  single  in- 
dividual. 

You  love  to  tell  of  some  great  concourse  of  people, 
moved  as  one  man  to  act  for  a  great  cause.  Perhaps  it 
was  a  day  when  the  separated  fragments  of  the  Church 
of  God  came  together  in  happy  union  and  their  jubilant 
praise  was  like  the  sound  of  many  waters.  Perhaps  it 
was  a  day  when  the  hosts  of  freedom  assembled  and  in  a 
solemn  silence  pledged  themselves  to  God  and  one  another 
to  break  the  chains  of  slavery.  Perhaps  it  was  a  great 
convention  of  laymen,  coming,  under  the  Spirit's  guid- 
ance to  know  and  feel  their  relation  to  the  Kingdom  of 
God  and  their  responsibility  for  it.  "  These  were  the 
days  of  his  power,"  you  say  and  say  truly.  But  not  any 
more  so  than  when  he  comes  to  a  single  soul  with  a  great 
blessing  or  a  great  conviction  or  purpose.  It  was  the  day 
of  God's  power  when  Joel  Stratton  laid  his  loving  hand 
on  John  B.  Gough  and  won  that  genius  of  oratory  to 
the  cause  of  temperance.  It  was  the  day  of  God's  power 
for  Wendell  Phillips  when,  at  25  years  of  age,  he  horri- 
fied the  aristocracy  of  Boston  by  identifying  himself  with 
the  odious  Abolitionists  and  when  not  long  after  he  made 
the  walls  of  Faneuil  Hall  ring  with  his  volcanic  eloquence 
in  defense  of  liberty.  And  so  the  power  of  God  may 
come  upon  you  personally.  It  may  be  in  a  situation  alto- 
gether inconspicuous.     It  may  make  no  appeal  to  your 


Recruits  for  the  Army  of  the  Lord  271 

love  of  display.  It  may  be  an  impulse  to  pray,  a  sugges- 
tion to  speak  to  another,  an  infilling  of  strength  to  bear 
a  heavy  load.  It  may  inflame  your  zeal  to  labor  or  put 
iron  in  your  blood  to  stand. 

The  day  of  power  is  here  and  now.  The  center  of 
power  is  at  God's  right  hand.  Thence  issues  the  Spirit 
to  abide  with  us  forever.  Do  we  wish  to  be  in  connec- 
tion with  this  infinite  source  of  power?  Do  we  crave 
it?     Do  we  pray  for  it? 

More  than  anything  else  we  need  it.  We  know  better 
than  we  practice.  We  talk  better  than  we  live.  We 
seem  better  than  we  are.  Our  show  window  is  larger 
than  our  stock  of  goods.  It  is  not  so  much  more  knowl- 
edge and  better  speech  that  we  need,  but  more  power, 
power  to  will  and  do,  to  resist  winsome,  winning  wrong, 
to  speak  the  right  word  when  speech  is  the  bravest  action, 
power  divine  to  support  our  feebleness,  to  chasten  our 
earthliness,  to  thrust  us  out  from  ourselves. 

To  be  like  Him ;  to  keep 

Unspotted  from  the  world ;  to  reap 

But  where  he  leads ;  to  think, 

To  dream,  to  hope,  as  one  who  would  but  drink 

Of  purity  and  grow 

More  like  the  Christ ;  to  go 

Through  time's  sweet  labyrinths  pure  and  brave  and  true ; 

To  stand  sin's  tests ;  to  dare,  to  do 

For  Him  though  all  the  price 

Re  stained  in  dye  of  sacrifice. 

This  were  to  be 

Sustained  by  his  infinity 

And  given 

A  foretaste  of  the  ecstasy  of  heaven. 

—  George  Kringle. 

II.  The  soldiers  of  the  army  of  the  Lord  are  volun- 
teers.    They   offer   themselves   willingly    in    the    day   of 


272  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

God's  power."  No  one  is  compelled  to  be  a  subject  of 
our  King,  nor  to  enter  the  ranks  of  his  professed  follow- 
ers. By  their  own  free  and  hearty  choice  they  rally 
to  his  standard. 

Nothing  could  be  more  foreign  to  the  spirit  of  his 
Kingdom  than  conscription,  conversion  by  force.  Men 
of  the  Saviour's  day  sought  to  make  him  such  a  King 
but  he  refused.  Sometimes  his  followers  in  later  ages 
so  far  forgot  his  orders  as  to  make  conquests  in  his  name 
by  force  of  arms.  But  the  real  genius  of  the  Gospel 
is  altogether  different.  The  Kingdom  of  Christ  is  a 
Kingdom  of  the  truth.  He  is  the  Truth  —  the  living 
truth  —  its  personal  embodiment  and  when  he  is  fitly 
presented  he  wins  the  hearts  of  men.  Persuasion  is  the 
instrument  to  be  employed  and  not  compulsion.  Men 
are  to  be  drawn  and  not  driven. 

It  was  a  new  thing  on  the  earth.  It  did  not,  as  the 
Ethnic  religions,  depend  on  the  power  of  the  state  to  give 
it  sway.  It  was  false  to  itself  whenever  it  so  allied  itself 
with  the  state.  Uniformity  of  belief  was  purchased  at 
too  great  a  price  when  paid  for  by  surrender  of  the 
liberty  of  the  individual  to  search  the  scriptures  for  him- 
self, to  join  with  others  in  adherence  to  the  truth  as  they 
found  it.  Christ  makes  men  free.  He  does  not  oppress 
but  liberates.  He  appeals  to  the  conscience  and  the  rea- 
son and  the  larger  interests  of  men.  His  own  ministry 
was  a  preaching  one.  He  says,  distinctly, — "  Therefore 
came  I  forth"  (Mark  1:38).  His  commission  to  his 
recruiting  officers  does  not  say  — "  Go  subdue  them  by 
arms,"  but,  "  Go  spread  the  Gospel."  The  means  of 
their  subjugation  is  speech  not  force.  When  they  sur- 
render, it  is  a  glad  surrender,  with  the  full  consent  of 
every  element  of  their  being,  with  faith  and  love  and 
joy  as  they  survey  the  excellencies  and  glories  of  their 
new  Master.  What  a  blessed  promise  is  that  of  Isaiah 
and  how  gloriously  it  has  been  fulfilled  in  New  Testa- 
ment times  — "  I  will  pour  water  upon  him  that  is  thirsty 


Recruits  for  the  Army  of  the  Lord  273 

and  floods  upon  the  dry  ground ;  I  will  pour  my  spirit 
upon  thy  seed  and  my  blessing  upon  thine  offspring;  and 
they  shall  spring  up  as  among  the  grass,  as  willows  by  the 
water  courses.  One  shall  say,  I  am  the  Lord's;  and 
another  shall  subscribe  with  his  hand  unto  the  Lord  and 
surname  himself  by  the  name  of  Israel."  Isa.  44:3—5. 
Their  experience  is  as  spontaneous  as  the  growing  grass 
of  the  springtime  or  the  willows  that  shoot  up  on  the 
edges  of  the  stream.  Their  words  are  the  outbursts  of 
genuine  emotion  as  they  claim  the  Lord  as  their  own  and 
write  it  down  as  a  perpetual  convenant  not  to  be  broken. 

The  soldiers  of  the  cross  are  not  merely  willing  but  de- 
termined to  serve  Christ.  They  will  to  offer  themselves 
unto  God.  Their  decision  is  not  negative  but  positive. 
It  is  not  consent  wrung  out  by  undue  pressure  but  pur- 
pose born  of  conviction  of  mind  and  heart.  It  may 
spring  into  existence  like  a  flash  or  it  may  come  slowly  to 
its  dominion.  But  when  it  is  reached  it  kindles  the  whole 
being  into  flame  or  burns  with  a  steady  glow.  It  may 
not  be  noisily  in  evidence  and  yet  be  burning  intensely 
within.  It  may  be  felt  by  those  who  come  near  rather 
than  displayed  to  those  who  are  afar.  Beecher  explains 
the  power  of  the  apostles  by  their  zeal  and  says  — "  They 
were  hot  all  over  and  everywhere  men  caught  fire  on  their 
sacred  touch."  They  were  constrained  by  the  love  of 
Christ  to  love  him  and  they  compassed  sea  and  land  to 
gather  others  to  his  standard. 

Perhaps  no  man  of  the  last  century  gained  such  mastery 
over  men  as  Napoleon,  such  personal  devotion  from  those 
who  followed  his  fortunes.  Yet  these  words  are  at- 
tributed to  him  and  seem  to  be  authentic  — "  I  know  men 
and  I  tell  you  that  Jesus  Christ  was  not  a  man  —  There 
is  between  Christianity  and  other  religions  the  distance  of 
infinity. 

"  Alexander,  Caesar,  Charlemagne  and  myself  all 
founded  enterprises.  But  on  what  did  we  rest  the 
creatures    of    our    genius?     Upon    sheer    force.     Jesus 


274  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

Christ  alone  founded  his  empire  upon  love;  and  at  the 
hour  millions  of  men  will  die  for  him." 

Are  these  words  true?  Yes,  there  are  men  and 
women  in  this  age,  as  there  have  been  in  ages  past,  who 
are  willing  to  die  for  Him.  There  are  living  heroes 
as  well  as  those  of  precious  memory.  Some  are  on  the 
firing  line,  enduring  hardness  as  good  soldiers  of  Jesus 
Christ  and  others  are  in  the  supporting  column  and  others 
are  chafing  in  reserve  and  all  alike  are  filled  with  a  con- 
suming zeal.  It  is  the  fulfilment  of  the  word  of  the 
Baptist  — "  He  shall  baptize  you  with  the  Holy  Ghost 
and  with  fire."  In  the  day  of  the  Spirit's  power  there 
will  be  more  fiery  zeal,  more  fervency  of  spirit,  more 
love  for  Christ  and  souls  of  men,  more  intensity  of  de- 
votion to  the  Kingdom  of  Christ.  Of  bodily  exercise 
we  have  enough  —  it  is  more  godliness  we  want.  Of 
ecclesiastical  machinery  we  have  enough  —  it  is  the 
dynamic  of  real  earnestness  we  should  seek  for. 

Some  seem  to  think  they  are  doing  a  great  thing,  even 
complimenting  Christ  by  giving  their  names  to  him. 
They  come,  as  John  Berridge  the  witty  contemporary  of 
Whitfield  says  — "  like  a  coxcomb  thinking  if  he  is  some- 
thing so  are  they."  Their  profession  is  a  new  feather 
in  their  own  cap  instead  of  an  oath  of  allegiance  to 
Christ.  They  are  holiday  soldiers,  skulkers  when  the 
fight  is  on,  with  no  real  fire  in  their  bones,  no  real  con- 
secration to  Jesus.  Heaven  forbid  that  we  should  be  of 
this  number!  For  very  shame  come  out  from  among 
them! 

You  are  willing  to  be  known  as  a  Christian.  Are 
you  as  honestly  willing  to  have  Christ  reign  over  you? 
Will  you  listen  for  the  orders  of  the  Captain  of  your 
salvation  and  obey?  In  view  of  all  the  possible  demands 
of  his  service,  do  you  declare  your  readiness  to  let  Him 
have  his  way  with  you? 

III.  The  soldiers  of  the  army  of  the  Lord  are  attrac- 
tively equipped.     They  offer  themselves  willingly  in  holy 


Recruits  for  the  Army  of  the  Lord  275 

array.  Equipment  usually  includes  habiliments  and  arms 
and  in  this  connection  stress  is  laid  upon  the  former. 
They  are  clad  in  garments  of  a  priest,  indicating  some- 
thing of  the  nature  of  their  warfare.  They  are  priests 
as  well  as  soldiers,  not  cruel  but  gentle,  ministering  in- 
stead of  mangling,  leading  men  back  to  God  by  the  grace 
of  their  own  lives. 

That  which  gives  them  their  attractive  power  is  their 
holy  array.  It  differs  from  the  array  of  display.  It 
comes  from  within  instead  of  being  put  on  from  without. 
Herod's  royal  apparel  could  not  long  conceal  the  mass 
of  moral  and  physical  corruption  that  was  beneath  it. 
Jesus  on  the  other  hand  needed  not  the  gorgeous  robe 

Ipf  Herod's  mockery,  for  the  glory  of  his  matchless 
character  shone  through  every  outward  covering.  Jesus 
said  of  the  lilies  at  his  feet  — "  Solomon  in  all  his  glory 
was  not  arrayed  like  one  of  these."  With  his  clear  in- 
light  into  common  things  he  saw  what  others  failed  to 
see.  The  glory  of  the  lily  was  of  its  very  nature,  coming 
out  of  its  very  heart.  But  the  glory  of  Solomon  was  a 
thing  of  gold  and  gems  that  might  be  laid  aside  and,  alas, 
was  no  true  index  of  the  inward  glory  of  the  man.  Holy 
array  of  this  deep,  inwrought  kind  is  the  distinguishing 
mark  of  the  Christian  warrior.  It  attracts  others  to  the 
cross  of  Christ.  By  its  means  he  wins;  by  lack  of  it  he 
loses  even  where  he  seems  to  win. 

We  are  loath  to  lose  the  old  phrase  — "  the  beauties 
of  holiness,"  even  though  its  place  is  taken  in  the  revised 
version  by  such  elegant  words  as  "  holy  array."  There 
is  a  pleasure  in  the  discernment  of  beauty  in  all  its  kinds. 
It  is  sought  and  prized  as  a  thing  of  value.  No  incense 
of  flattery  is  so  grateful  to  many  as  to  overhear  the  words 
of  admiration  —  How  beautiful!  It  may  be  beauty  of 
form  or  carriage,  or  beauty  of  dress  or  color,  or  beauty 
of  expression  beaming  forth  from  the  windows  of  the 
soul,  or  charm  of  manner  or  of  intellect.  But  higher 
than  all  these  is  beauty  of  character  and  highest  of  all  in 


276  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

character  is  the  beauty  of  holiness.  To  be  true  and 
tender  and  just  and  pure  —  in  short,  to  be  holy  is  the 
very  acme  of  beauty  —  the  beauty  of  God.  To  be  this 
and  yet  unconscious  of  it,  to  be  humble  as  well  as  holy  — 
this  is  the  finest  and  best  equipment  for  the  service  of 
Christ.  This  is  the  "  fine  linen,  clean  and  white,"  which 
is  the  "righteousness  of  saints"  Rev.  19:8-14.  My 
friends,  there  is  no  such  a  thing  as  conquest  for  Christ 
by  unrighteousness;  to  do  wrong  is  always  and  every- 
where to  fail.  God  may  overrule  the  wrong-doing  of 
his  people,  but  it  is  none  the  less  a  hindrance.  Jacob 
would  have  been  a  better  instrument  of  God,  if  he  had 
never  been  a  wicked  supplanter.  Lot's  compromising  at- 
titude did  not  regenerate  Sodom  and  Samson  with  his 
manifold  faults  and  sins  left  the  work  of  deliverance  for 
Israel  half-done.  On  the  other  hand,  Caleb  who  fol- 
lowed the  Lord  fully  was  mighty  in  driving  out  the 
enemies  of  Israel  and  permanently  establishing  himself 
in  his  inheritance. 

"  Anything  to  win!  "  will  not  do  in  any  campaign  for 
the  Lord.  It  is  a  devil's  maxim  anyway  in  any  kind  of 
enterprise.  In  all  their  undertakings  the  children  of  God 
are  not  bound  to  win,  but  to  be  worthy  to  win.  And  in 
the  enterprises  of  Christ  there  is  nothing  but  failure  and 
weakness  whenever  we  trail  our  flag  in  the  mire  of  sin. 

Do  you  think  you  can  win  men  to  Christ  by  lowering 
your  standard  of  morals  to  the  level  of  theirs.  No! 
No!  Your  thought  is  vain,  you  may  spread  yourself  over 
a  wider  surface,  but  you  destroy  your  influence  for  good 
and  maybe  tip  the  scale  of  influence  to  the  nether  side. 

Mr.  Speer  in  his  sketches  of  "  men  who  overcame  " 
calls  Henry  Camp  of  Yale  the  "  knightly  soldier,"  not 
only  because  he  fell  in  one  of  the  hard-fought  battles 
of  the  Civil  War,  but  because  of  his  soldierly  qualities 
as  a  Christian.  A  brother  officer  tells  that  on  one  oc- 
casion they  were  playing  chess  together  when  one  of  the 


Recruits  for  the  Army  of  the  Lord  277 

number  used  impure  language  and  further  says  — "  Camp 
blushed  like  a  maiden  and  then  as  the  same  style  of  re- 
mark was  repeated,  he  arose  from  his  seat,  saying,  "  Let 
us  find  another  place;  the  air  is  very  foul  here."  A  re- 
buke tactfully  and  vigorously  given  and  well  deserved. 
One  of  his  college  friends  said  of  him — "  All  of  us  who 
were  about  him  perceived  that  Henry  Camp  was  a 
Christian  who  followed  Christ.  All  things  that  were 
true,  honest,  just,  pure,  lovely,  of  good  report,  shone  in 
his  walk  and  conversation."  Mr.  Speer,  himself,  says  — 
"  He  was  graduated  from  college  in  i860  with  high 
honor;  but  what  is  more,  with  the  deep  love  of  men 
who  had  seen  no  flaws  in  him  and  some  of  whom  he  had 
won  to  the  Saviour."  I  commend  to  you  college  men 
his  example.  It  teaches  this  great  lesson  that  whoever 
without  angularity  yet  with  straightforward  sincerity 
pursues  unswervingly  a  right  life  will  win  the  final  re- 
spect of  his  fellows  and  exert  the  mightiest  influence  upon 
them  for  good. 

IV.  The  conquering  army  of  the  Lord  is  made  up  of 
those  in  the  dew  of  their  youth  —  young  men  and 
maidens.  However  variously  these  somewhat  intricate 
phrases  are  disentangled  all  discover  in  them  substan- 
tially the  same  thought.  The  youthful  warriors  are  com- 
pared to  the  dew  of  the  morning.  In  the  day  of  God's 
power  they  shall  be  like  the  dewdrops  in  multitude  in 
sparkling  beauty  and  in  refreshing  influence  making  the 
desert  earth  to  rejoice  and  blossom  as  the  rose. 

The  armies  of  the  zuorld  are  made  up  of  young  men. 
Those  who  conquered  the  rebellion  were  the  young  men 
of  the  time,  the  great  majority  of  the  soldiers  ranging  in 
age  from  sixteen  to  thirty.  Many  of  the  scarred 
veterans  were  mere  striplings  forty-five  years  ago.  That 
so  many  are  yet  with  us  is  evidence  enough  of  this  fact. 
Always  a  great  war  draws  heavily  upon  the  youth  of  the 
country. 


278  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

More  and  more,  as  life  grows  complex  and  strenuous, 
the  world's  work  as  well  as  its  warfare  is  done  by  young 
men. 

Need  we  wonder  then  if  in  the  great  moral  war  — 
the  war  in  behalf  of  the  Kingdom  of  Christ,  the  chief 
dependence  must  be  upon  the  youth  of  the  Church,  young 
women  not  less  than  young  men,  young  women  as  often 
as  otherwise  being  in  the  van  of  the  conflict.  Years  ago 
I  heard  an  eminent  minister  say  — "  The  best  work  of 
the  world  is  never  paid  for."  I  often  think  of  it  as  I 
see  the  unofficial,  unpaid,  self-sacrificing  labors  of  young 
women  in  Sabbath  Schools  and  temperance  organizations 
and  missionary  societies  and  other  lines  of  Christian  work. 

The  characteristics  of  youth  eminently  fit  them  for  all 
kinds  of  aggressive  activity.  Of  course,  there  is  a  place 
for  everyone  of  whatever  age  in  the  service  of  the  Lord. 
There  is  need  too  of  wisdom  as  well  as  fire  and  energy. 
I  like  to  think  there  is  some  good  meaning  in  Oliver 
Wendell  Holmes'  definition  of  youth  as  "  something  in  the 
soul  which  has  no  more  to  do  with  the  color  of  the  hair 
than  the  vein  of  gold  in  a  rock  has  to  do  with  the  grass 
a  thousand  feet  above  it,"  or  as  another  says,  that,  "  a 
man  is  only  as  old  as  he  feels."  And  yet  we  must  admit 
that  youth  is  in  the  blood  as  well  as  in  the  soul  and  a 
man  is  likely  to  feel  as  old  as  he  is.  Youth  is  optimistic, 
enthusiastic,  energetic.  It  fears  not  to  project  great 
enterprises;  it  is  brave  in  the  face  of  dangers.  Says  Dr. 
Parker  in  his  own  vivid  way — "What  is  my  life?  A 
youthhood  bright  with  cloudless  hope;  a  passion;  an  eye 
at  a  telescope  —  a  wind  southerly  and  rich  with  promises 
and  blessings;  a  wild  strength;  a  scornful  laugh  at  diffi- 
culty; a  challenge  to  presumptuous  rivalry;  a  victory  ere 
the  fight  begins."  What  a  bright  picture  of  a  young 
man's  hopeful  outlook  on  life!  Let  this  "wild  strength 
be  harnessed  to  the  chariots  of  God.  Let  our  young  men 
and  women  in  the  spirit  of  their  years,  undertake  great 
things  for  God  and  expect  great  things  from  God.     Let 


Recruits  for  the  Army  of  the  Lord  279 

them  set  a  pace  for  themselves  in  zeal  and  labor  that  even 
advancing  years  cannot  wholly  check  and  thus  run  a 
whole  life  of  fidelity  to  God  and  man. 

Young  men  and  young  women  of  the  class  of  1906, 
my  words  tonight  are  addressed  to  you  especially.  The 
dew  of  your  youth  is  yet  yours  and  great  are  the  possi- 
bilities that  lie  before  you. 

To  what  will  you  devote  your  lives?  What  is  the 
thing  of  most  importance  to  you?  What  will  you  in- 
scribe on  the  topmost  round  of  the  ladder  of  your  ambi- 
tion? 

I  am  not  thinking  now  of  this  calling  or  that  —  of  the 
ministry  or  the  mission  field,  but  of  the  central,  control- 
ling spirit  of  your  lives.  What  is  the  interest  you  intend 
to  make  supreme  with  you,  I  submit  to  you  that  the 
rightful  King  of  every  man  or  woman  is  Jesus  Christ  — 
that  to  be  under  Him,  to  be  for  Him  is  the  very  highest 
conception  of  living.  Let  your  calling  be  what  it  may 
only  so  it  be  in  harmony  with  the  law  of  God,  but  let 
it  be  not  an  end  in  itself  but  the  means  to  the  larger, 
nobler  end  of  service  to  Christ. 

I  have  in  my  mind's  eye  a  man  of  thirty-five  in  the 
full  tide  of  prosperity,  with  all  the  vigor  and  bloom  of 
health  and  strength.  He  has  succeeded  in  the  enterprises 
of  business  and  already  has  a  competence  and  bright 
prospect  of  wealth  and  worldly  influence.  He  has  friends 
among  good  men  and  is  without  degrading  habits  or 
associations.  Men  praise  him  for  doing  well.  But  it 
seems  as  if  God  is  lost  out  of  his  life  and  eternity  is  very 
far  off  and  Jesus  Christ  the  King  of  men  is  almost  for- 
gotten. The  world  is  in  his  heart  and  his  heart  is  in  the 
world. 

I  have  in  mind  another,  a  young  woman  of  attractive 
form  and  feature,  of  bright  intellect,  inheriting  a  modest 
competence.  She  has  given  her  life  to  a  degenerated 
people  and  identified  herself  with  their  narrow  conditions 
that  she  may  the  better  serve  them. 


280  Baccalaureate  Sermons 

She  has  abandoned  the  pleasures  and  rivalries  of  society 
for  which  she  is  sufficiently  well-fitted  and  gone  to  live 
with  the  objects  of  her  philanthropic  endeavor.  She  is 
happy  in  the  love  of  those  whose  elevation  she  seeks. 
The  world  is  under  her  feet  and  Christ  is  on  the  throne 
of  her  heart. 

Which  of  these,  think  you,  is  making  the  most  of  life? 

You  cannot  exactly  duplicate  any  other  life.  But  in 
the  great  war  of  the  world  you  can  have  your  heart  in 
the  right  place  and  you  can  keep  yourself  from  being 
in  morals  and  religion  a  nonentity.  Whatever  be  the 
weight  of  your  personality,  throw  it  on  the  side  of  the 
King,  on  the  side  of  stalwart  righteousness,  on  the  side 
of  truth  and  purity  and  love. 

Sometime  the  war  will  be  over  and  the  hosts  of  God 
will  celebrate  their  victory.  I  can  imagine  with  what 
a  proud  step  the  veterans  at  the  grand  review  at  the 
close  of  the  Civil  War  tramped  the  streets  of  Washing- 
ton. They  were  proud  of  the  splendid  fellowship  of 
brave  men  and  the  victorious  issue  of  their  struggles! 
They  could  say  — "  I  helped  to  win  the  battle  for  the 
right."  There  will  be  another  assembling  of  victorious 
hosts  when  this  cruel  world-war  is  over.  The  Kingdoms 
of  this  world  will  become  the  Kingdom  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ.  Satan  will  be  dethroned  and  sin  will  be 
uprooted  and  the  Lord  alone  will  be  exalted  in  that  day. 
Happy  will  we  be  if  we  can  say  in  that  day  — "  We 
helped  to  win  the  victory.  We  willingly  offered  our- 
selves in  holy  array  in  the  days  of  our  youth  and  gave 
our  entire  lives  to  the  mighty  struggle." 

My  young  friends,  is  not  this  the  one  thing  that  is 
worth  doing?  Is  not  this  what  makes  life  worth  living? 
Is  not  this  the  best  possible  issue  of  the  life  you  are  now 
pressing  into?  Make  your  life  a  psalm.  Fill  it  with 
praise  of  your  Redeemer.  Keep  your  ear  to  the  ground 
to  hear  some  notes  of  that  song  of  the  white-robed  multi- 
tude that  stand  before  the  throne  with  palms  of  victory 


Recruits  for  the  Army  of  the  Lord  28 1 

in  their  hands,  crying  with  a  loud  voice  — "  Salvation  to 
our  God  which  sitteth  upon  the  throne  and  to  the  Lamb." 

Hark!   those  bursts   of   acclamation, 
Hark!  those  loud  triumphant  chords, 
Jesus  takes  the  highest  station, 
Oh!  what  joy  the  sight  affords. 
Crown  Him,  crown  Him  — 
King  of  Kings  and  Lord  of  Lords. 


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